HtTYD There and back again
by Midsully
Summary: Hiccup escapes after Astrid tells the village about Toothless. Two years later and dragon raids have stopped but more wild dragons now live on Berk and rumors of a man solving other villages dragon problems pop up. Five years after Hiccup left he returns under the guise as Ryder, what awaits him in the place he once called home?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hiccup stared on in horror as the villagers put restraints on Toothless and bound his own arms together to prevent him from trying to help. He saw his father, Stoick the Vast, giving orders to the men as they began dragging the Night Fury out of the cove and towards the village. He knew he should have chased her when she ran off after following him to the cove and finding Toothless there, but he thought he'd have more time and that no one would believe her when she told them he had a dragon in the forest. The girl in question stood nearby watching alongside Gobber and the other teens he had been training with, Gobber had a shocked and saddened look on his face while Snotlout and the twins sneered at Hiccup as his only friend was dragged away like a deranged animal. Astrid was on the other side of their teacher with one arm holding the other and Fishlegs stood next to the twins looking back and forth from Hiccup to the Night Fury he had trained over the last few weeks. They all snapped back to reality when Stoick stood in front of his son with rage burning in his eyes, they watched with baited breathe as the chief decided what to do with his only child who had turned his back on his tribe.

"Let me save you the trouble of having to shout at me again," his son spoke softly, just enough so only his father and the men holding him could hear. "I know you're disappointed and are about to throw me in prison for what I've done. But I have done something no one else has done da… Chief Stoick." The boy lamented the last part of his sentence, knowing full well that his father would disown him for befriending a dragon, what he didn't see was the gruff look his father wore falter for a second.

The Chief looked over his shoulder where his close friend stood with the five other children Hiccup's age, and then back too his son before he spoke. "Put him in the cells and lock up that beast with the other dragons, we will execute it before him tomorrow and then he will stand trial for treason." The tears that slide down his son's cheeks were noticed by only three people: Stoick, Gobber and Astrid.

*three hours later, Berk prisoner cells

Hiccup had been in the cell for over an hour now, he refused to eat and sleep evaded him. His thoughts entirely focused on Toothless and trying to find a way to get him out of this mess; he cared nothing about his own life as long as he could find a way to spare his friend. The sounds of footsteps and a familiar voice brought his head up for the first time since his father had given him his sentence, "Hiccup?" Astrid asked, the boy stared at her for a moment and then lowered his head again before turning around to face his back to her, he had nothing to say to anyone and she was at the very top of his list. "Hiccup, I…" she began, thinking carefully what she wanted to say. "I never meant for you to get locked up for treason. I… I just had to tell your father about that dragon."

"Why?" It was the first thing he'd said since he had spoken to his father, and the question caught her off guard. Why did she have to tell the chief about a dragon? Because it was a dragon and they were the Vikings sworn enemy, mindless killing animals that had no conscience or soul. She was about to tell him this when he cut her off. "Don't give me that mindless animal crap our parents have force fed us since we were born, I spent weeks with that dragon and I was perfectly fine the entire time. He had plenty of opportunities to kill me if he wanted and instead he let me go and then became a friend. And before you quote everything my father said on the trek here from the cove spare me. I don't care that I betrayed the Viking way, I know what I did was the right thing and I'd rather die for doing something right then live doing what I know is wrong." His voice was calm and steady, Astrid couldn't think of a time when he spoke this long to anyone without stuttering over his words. For him to speak in this manner and to her of all people whom he could normally barely construct a coherent thought spoke volumes about how he felt. She thought of saying more before he continued, "Astrid you can't understand because you've never been afraid, so you could never have seen what I saw the day I found him. I even thought of showing him to you, thinking you might be willing to understand, but I wanted to be sure he wouldn't do anything." Silence was the only answer he needed, he knew she hadn't moved otherwise he would hear it, sound tended to be amplified in the dungeon cells. "…I was in love with you Astrid and I know you'll never feel that for me, but I loved you all the same." That was where he stopped, he had nothing more and he waited in silence until she left. He heard her shove someone and Fishlegs grunted or squeaked, but Hiccup would remain silent until it came time for him to face the village that now called him traitor.

*The following morning, Dragon training ring

His arms were bound once again as he was brought into the ring to the jeers and shouts of the village, he noted his father and Gobber standing in the center talking quietly, and his father seemingly snapped at the man who had taught him everything he knew about working in the forge. He approached the pair wordlessly and stood before them. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, you are charged with treason against Berk and the Viking way of life, for hiding a dragon on this island." Stoick spoke loudly so everyone could hear him, "Before your trail we will offer you one chance to make amends to your people." The guards who had been following him were sent over to one of the dragon pens, opening it to reveal the Night Fury in question. Hiccup noted that the artificial tail and harness were still attached, a plan formulating at his luck that the adults weren't smart enough to remove them. "Kill this dragon and you will serve one month in the cells and perform repair work on the village as needed in that time before being allowed to rejoin the people of Berk as one of them." Hiccup knew this offer was only being given because of his father, but his plan was already formed but he needed someone physically stronger than himself to play the unwitting pawn for it to work. As Stoick held out a dagger for him to make his choice, the boy could see his father trying to beg him with his eyes to take it and kill Toothless, something he could not do. Hiccup took the blade and looked at it for a moment. He looked around at the crowd of people who had berated him and tortured him, both emotionally and verbally, and on more than one occasion physically, before spotting the five his age.

Snotlout merely stood with his arms crossed, his own cousin and he was perhaps the worst of them all. He picked on Hiccup from day one and only expressed kindness towards him when he had shown promise in dragon training, thanks to all the tricks he learned from his time with Toothless. Fishlegs stood there with his hands on the rings metal bars, he had tried to speak to Hiccup after Astrid along with others who failed to receive a word from him, and was watching with wide eyes. The twins where alternating between encouraging him to do it before banging their heads together, and yelling to let the dragon eat him. And then there was Astrid, who merely stood there trying not to make eye contact with him, she would glance at him but then divert her eyes to his father or Toothless. After a second of staring at her intently their eyes met and she backed away from the ring so he wouldn't see the tears threatening at her eyes, once she was out of sight the young 14 year old looked at his forge master and gave him a curt nod, expressing thanks for everything he had taught him over the years (and silently for the skills to make his friend's new tail.) before finally resting on the chief of the village, his father. Hiccup then did the bravest thing he had ever done; he looked his father right in the eye and threw the dagger to the side earning a gasp from everyone watching.

Stoick closed his eyes and took a shaky breathe before pushing his son to the side, "Who will be the one to step forward to slay this beast!?" He shouted. Astrid froze just away form the ring and rushed back seeing Hiccup get back up from the place he had fallen near his dragon, the villagers went into an uproar all except her volunteering to be the one to kill a dragon; Snotlout then pushed his way to the gate and grabbed a sword off the entrance wall.

"I'll put that thing down chief, and show Hiccup here how a real Viking deals with them." The brawny boy said, Hiccup smirked ever so slightly for he couldn't think of a more fitting tool. He watched as his cousin approached Toothless only feet away from him and waited for the crowd to quiet down and watch, the guards hadn't moved from the pen doors so everything fell into place perfectly. He regained his footing as Snotlout raised his sword and took a moment to make sure the other teens, especially Astrid, were watching and when his grip tightened to signal he was about to swing Hiccup made his move.

Snotlout brought his sword down and seconds before it would have met the dragons neck he was slammed from the side by his scrawny cousin. T he villagers began shouting once more in both surprise and anger, all of them failing notice that the sword had come into contact with a lock on the restraints holding the dragon in place. This was made clear when the guards came and forcefully pulled Hiccup off of Snotlout and he shouted, "Now!" The dragon burst out of the collar and tackled men before swiping its tail and throwing Snotlout several feet into Stoick. Hiccup mounted his friend and turned him towards the exit and the pair headed for it, blasting the gate to ensure they got out, the other teens were standing beside the exit and put themselves in the dragon's path and were ready to pounce, Toothless slowed and looked to his rider who merely nodded. With a blue light a plasma blast hit the ground inches in front of them and the pluse sent the all to the ground, Astrid turned to find a very angry reptile looming over her and knew she was about to die, but instead received a loud roar right in her face before it took flight. She turned over as the villagers made their way to where the dragon had been and saw Hiccup riding it and stopped just out of the range for the archers, Stoick shoved his way to the front of the crowd next to her and heard Hiccp shout.

"Dragons are not our enemy! They can to trained and they can make the future better for Vikings everywhere." All eyes were on their Chief except for Astrid; her eyes never left the boy whose life she had just changed forever.

"You have thrown you lot in with them! You're no Viking! ...You're not my son." Came Stoick's reply as the people of Berk once more began shouting traitor and all manner of other names and curses, Hiccup never heard anything after his father proclaim and simply clicked his left leg as Toothless sped off into the air and away from the place he called home. Once he was out of sight the people began to disperse, the last ones remaining were Stoick, Gobber, Fishlegs and Astrid. The forge master and large boy eventually set off as well, leaving only the chief with the young shield maiden in training, when the sun finally set Astrid left Stoick alone, he had not spoken a word since he disowned his son and she figured he probably wanted to be left alone. Once she was gone and out of earshot Stoick fell to his knees, and for the first time in fourteen years had tears running down his face.

*one month later

The event at the dragon ring had slipped from the minds of many people on Berk, few people mention Hiccup's name and even fewer mentioned him without disdain. Stoick had fallen ill, and resigned to his home for several weeks, many felt sorry for him that his son was such a disappointment, but only Gobber knew that the man was suffering from a broken heart once again. Astrid tried to push all thoughts of Hiccup from her mind and was usually successful, a week and a half after he'd left another attack came and she had been forced to defend herself from a gronckle and as a result killed it making her a full fledged shield maiden, she was proud for finally having become a Viking in the eyes of her people, but her thought drifted at the feast they threw in her honor to what Hiccup would have thought had he been there. These thoughts were usually interrupted by Snotlout, who had been named the new heir as Hiccup was now officially branded an outcast and disowned by his father. He still kept up his flirtation with her despite her telling him she's rather share a bed with a dragon than him and even going so far as to break his wrist once. She looked out over the cliff as the sun was beginning to set on another day and silently wished that Hiccup was alive and well, while she was plenty mad at him for his betrayal of the tribe as much as the rest of Berk, she knew that he probably was the only reason that dragon hadn't killed her that day, the day a Night Fury missed. She twirled her axe in her hand before heading back home, Trader Johann would be arriving the next day and she wanted to find some new polish for her weapon of choice.

*Two years later

Dragon attacks had practically stopped over night, Berk hadn't suffered a raid in close to eight months(roughly a year and a half after Hiccup left), and the only dragons left were the wild ones on the island which had grown in number since the attacks stopped. Also news had come from other tribes that a mysterious young man was traveling from village to village helping with dragons. Some rumors said he killed them himself and others said he made them flee in terror, no one actually saw what he did that ended the problems, just after he left the wild dragons in the area were gone and he would disappear, without a trace. The only other constant is that he always came from outside the village and not from the seas by his boat; a village claimed he would be leave one day and either later that day or the very next he would show up at another village faster than any boat could carry him even if he were traveling alone. He refused payment from every village only asking for supplies or food when he needed it, and he wore a strange helmet that hid his face so no one knew who he truly was. Trader Johann brought the first news of him around the time the raids had stopped, claiming he was behind it; Stoick practically strangled the poor man demanding a name before Gobber got him to calm down. The smithy knew his friend wanted to know if it was Hiccup but alas Johann didn't know and neither had many of the villages who had received a visit from the man that they had visited for trading and other business reasons.

Stoick wanted to know if his son was still alive, he regretted disowning Hiccup the second the words had left his mouth and it took him over a month to be able to return to his duties as chief, but even then he began to delegate more to others as he still could not completely forgive himself and his regret would continue to eat at him. First the love of his life, Hiccup's mother, Valka was taken by a Stormcutter dragon when he was protecting their newborn son. And then he'd lost the only family he had left to a dragon once again, and this time the dragon was chosen over him, Stoick's greatest shame was not that his son was different or clumsy, but that he would rather risk his life for a dragon than be his son. This thought haunted him as he ate dinner in his house by himself every night, and as a result formed a permanent stain on the table where his tears would fall.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

*Three years later

Five years, Astrid thought to herself as she woke and remembered what day it was. Five years ago on this very day Hiccup had refused to kill a dragon to his father's face and then used Snotlout's brawn against him to free it before riding away on it to Odin knows where. Despite Stoick's disowning of him, the chief had asked for any news about his former son be brought to his attention from any other tribes, the village assumed so he could be brought to justice for his crimes, but the truth is the man just wanted to know his boy was alive. Astrid hated this day almost as much as Stoick since all but a few celebrated it like a holiday, the four who had stood from where he made his escape and Gothi, the village elder, were the only ones who did not partake in the years since he flew away on the back of his dragon. As she got dressed and picked up her axe Astrid noticed the blade was getting dull again, Gobber had let his smith work slide after Hiccup left and he had yet to find another apprentice with enough skill to help pick up the slack another the forge. With a heavy sigh she left her home and headed to the building where the man was sullenly working on another sword.

"Hey Gobber, I need my axe sharpened again." Astrid called as she reached the forge, she noticed the place was a mess; Gobber always got depressed on the anniversary of Hiccup's leaving and today was no exception he was standing in front of an old curtain that blocked a view of the back room where Hiccup had left nearly a hundred drawings of inventions and weapons that gave him his title of useless. The large smith gave a grunt of acknowledgment and pointed to a pile of dulled weapons from others that needed sharpening, "Gobber, I know you are one of the only people who miss Hiccup but you can't let that stop you from living. After he left you refused to help during any of raids until they stopped three and a half years ago, that's not good for you." Astrid moved closer and put a hand on his back and the moment she made contact the peg legged smith turned on her, eyes brimming with tears threatening to fall.

"Don't ye be tellin' me what is good and bad fer me lass, that boy was family and even his own father and I didn't give him the love he needed, I tried to be as nice to him as I would fer anyone else and only managed it half the time! Et's hard 'nuff missing him in general but to know I was part wha' made him leave on a dragon? I can ne'er forgive myself. N ow put yer damn axe on the table and I'll get to et when I can, the lad was always better with sharpening the weapons, 'specially yours, always wanted to make sure you had the sharpest weapon in the village he'd say. I tell ya, that boy was in love with ye. Now get out I got work to do." With that he all but threw her out of the forge and began work on her axe while leaving a sword in the forge to melt, Astrid's thoughts traveled back to the night when she'd told Stoick about the dragon and what Hiccup had said to her from the inside of his cell. How he had loved her, loved, she focused on that parted he said it in a past tense, had he fallen out of love with her after she ran to tell his father or had he simply accepted that he was going to die before his escape? Astrid would never know. She was so deep in thought she hadn't even realized a ship had docked at the port and people were headed to see who it was as Trader Johann had felt a few weeks prior, that was brought to her attention however when Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout ran by her and she was awoken with another sickening flirt.

"Hey babe, you wanna come check out the newcomers at the docks with me?" Astrid's response was a fist to his gut but turned to see the ship pulling in. She found the twins at the edge of the docks as several other villagers were also curious and they couldn't get any closer. Stoick was at the head of the crowd as usual and met with the captain on the ship. "Welcome to Berk, what brings you to our island?" The man sized up the chief for a minute then spoke.

"I've come to speak with you about this dragon conqueror; word is he has never come here despite the well known fact that you have an excessive amount of dragons on this island." Stoick nodded and motioned him forward towards the Meade hall and followed him before responding, "Aye, but from what I understand he only goes where dragons are a problem. And we have no issues keeping them out of our village." The captain held his head in regard to Stoick before looking at the village, every house had been standing without damage for over three years, except for the Thorson house which had to remodel every other month due to the twins destructive nature. "I apologize I thought you knew," Stoick gave the man a questioning look, "This man has been showing up and convincing dragons to leave, and he supposedly does it from the back of his own dragon." The news nearly floored the Chief, he only knew of one person who could be riding a dragon. "The dragon is quite obviously rare as no one has seen it before, but best guess is that it might be a Night Fury. He comes in and leaves within a few days time and moves on to the next village. He's made some enemies however, the Outcasts and Berserkers in particular hate him after he destroyed several of their fleets in the middle of raids and the Romans claimed to have captured him once and tortured him for his dragon secrets. However that is likely just hot air as they refuse to give a sketch or description of him and say he never divulged his secrets to them, and I'm sure you've heard how they handle their… interrogations." Stoick nodded, at first he was thinking it was Hiccup but upon hearing about torture at the hands of the Romans and fights with the Outcast and Berserker clans, his hopes were shot. Hiccup wasn't violent, he would want to talk things out and avoid the bloodshed if possible. Stoick pushed these thoughts away as he focused on this info, it was clear these men were tracking this dragon conqueror as they called him, but for what? He had no love for the Outcasts and the only reason they had peace with the Berserkers is the respect Stoick had for their late chief, his psychotic son Dagur lived up to his deranged title.

"Well I thank you for the information you have on this man, but you are correct he hasn't been here. If he does show up however I can notify you and hold him here if possible." The captain considered this and nodded before offering his hand to shake on the deal, "My men will restock our food and other supplies and we will be out of your hair in a matter of hours, we intend to spread this news as fast as possible in hopes of finding this man. He has done great work in helping the people of the archipelago and deserves something as reward." Stoick nodded and left the table as the ships crew filed in for food before they gathered what they needed for their journey. Stoick left the hall and ushered everyone back to their lives and to be courteous to their guests, before looking over the ocean view from outside the Meade hall and chest falling once again at the hope of his son returning.

*Three hours lates, one hour until sundown

The men packed up the remainder of the supplies they had purchased and sailed out to sea as promised, the wind had picked up and they were out of eyesight before long. As the sun began to set on the village they began their fifth annual celebration of Hiccup's departure, Stoick could be found where he was every year for the duration of the celebration: outside the dragon training ring looking at the last spot he had seen his son before he made the greatest mistake of his life. He heard the sound of a wooden peg tapping the floor and knew Gobber was coming to join him, the two missed the boy greatly and Gobber found Stoick there after the first year hoping silently for his return. It had become their own tradition and they let the tears roll just between the two of them, Gobber had stopped fighting dragons just like Astrid said; content to just provide the smith work as his job demanded of him. Stoick couldn't afford that luxury as he hated dragons for taking his family away twice but was big enough to admit he pushed his son towards them. Neither man knew that a another person stood watching at the cliff above the docks, Astrid committed an hour every year just to send a prayer to the gods that Hiccup was safe and alive living a happy life somewhere dragon or no, she felt guilty for turning him in and this was the best repentance she could do without him present for her to apologize. If it weren't for the tears prickling at the trio's faces, and had they been looking hard enough, they would have noticed a fleet of ships gathering in the distance.

*Nearby on a sea stack

Hiccup stood on the top of a sea stack surveying the fleet below, he'd been following them ever since they set sail from a village nearly three days away, they had been sending an advance ship to villages and after certain villages they'd be given a signal and the fleet would attack, there were ten ships in total and they spared no one, men women or children. He had stumbled across them while flying to a village he had helped a few years back and wanted to check up on since Whispering Deaths were tricky to deal with, however he arrived and saw nothing but smoke and ashes from the sky, he circled over head until the fleet was a good distance then landed to look for survivors, all he founded were charred bodies and nightmares that would haunt him for days to come. As he followed them they stopped at several villages that he had visited, but none were attacked. Another village he had never been to was attacked but managed to fend them off and gave Hiccup the signal he would need to know to jump into action. Now he had followed them to a familiar setting and one he had hoped to never return: Berk. He had hoped they would merely pass them by and allow him to leave this place behind again but sadly as the advance ship pulled out he saw the flag that signaled for an attack and the ships below hiding in the rock formations below began preparations. "Well what do you think Bud? Should we stop them and save the people who want us dead, or just wait it out and follow them again?" He asked as he turned to see his dragon looking over the edge next to him. Toothless blew air out of his snout curtly then turned to their makeshift camp they had made while waiting for the advance ship to leave, he picked up the helmet Hiccup had designed to block wind and hide his face when helping others, it was black with three rows of fins shaped after the dragon's dorsal fins on the center and just to the sides of the center row, and some brown leather under the eyes. Toothless place the helmet in his rider's hands and nodded to the rest of his leather armor still sitting by the fire. "Yeah you're right Bud, we wouldn't stand by if it was any other village and we shouldn't for Berk either." With that said he began to strap on his armor, and got the dragon's saddle ready, by the time Hiccup had dawned his armor and helmet and retrieve the special sword he had created in a village he saved from a particularly nasty dragon, the ships were bearing down on Berk, they would be within catapult firing distance in a matter of moments.

*On Berk

Astrid wiped the single tear she shed for Hiccup every year on this day and stood up, only to notice a line of ten ships closing in on Berk and to her horror saw they were lighting very large boulders in catapults. "What on midgard is tha'?" Gobber asked catching Stoick's attention just in time to dodge a large flaming boulder that came from the sea. The two men looked in horror as the attacking force fired several more, hitting houses, the forge and the Meade hall. As the villagers poured out of the hall to see what the commotion was about a few were met with fiery homes and more death from above raining down, luckily Berk is stubborn when it comes to dying and anyone who could or didn't fight was made their way back into the hall as the rest found their weapons and charged for the boats. Astrid had barely managed to avoid the initial rock but was back on her feet and running to join the fray as the first ship had reached the port and had men jumping out to the Berkians in combat. Then over the screaming and clanging of steel, everyone heard it….

The shrill cry of the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself.

"Night Fury! Get down!" was heard and many people of Berk ducked and waited for the explosion as did the attacking force, only Stoick and Gobber saw it hit. One of the attacking ships was destroyed in a show a fire and the only evidence of the dragon's presence was the streak that passed by the explosion. The attack resumed and spread through the village, with the occasional blast of destruction from the Night Fury, always on one of the ships still at sea firing from a normally safe distance. Only two ships made it to Berk and the second revealed the attackers identity as Dagur the Deranged jumped out and lead the charge from the second wave.

"Hurry up and take this place down!" Dagur screeched, "The sooner we get rid of them the sooner I get that Night Fury!" the crazed 20 year old fought his way through the village looking for Stoick the Vast but came upon Astrid instead who had been backed onto the cliff edge along with a few others. Dagur smiled and gave his laugh loudly as he threw knives into the two men fighting alongside the blonde causing them to fall back into the crashing waves below. "Well, well, you're a feisty one aren't you?" He asked as he walked ahead of his men signaling them to back off, "You know if you join me you can be chieftess of the Berserkers and possibly help me kill… that!" He shouted the last part as the Night Fury's shrill scream past by once more, this time sending a blast at one of the ships that managed to dock and unload.

"I'd rather take my chances dating the Night Fury." Astrid growled raising her axe ready to fight. "Too bad you could have been a great warrior." Dagur replied as the men closed in with him. They didn't spare the effort to kill her and merely forced her off the edge, Astrid knew the impact would likely kill her or she would be knocked out and drown before the battle ended, but she screamed all the same. She had a front row seat of the water approaching when sudden something grabbed her and she was flying across just above the water's surface.

"You catch em' Bud?" Astrid heard above her and looked up ahead of her to find two massive green eyes staring at her before hearing a grunt and the feeling of being raised higher from the water, when she realized; the dragon had saved her. She even almost screamed again in shock as she was thrown up slightly and then caught by her arms before being dropped again to land and forced to roll to her feet at the dragon arena. She heard the Night Fury's call once more before the final ship was destroyed and the Berserkers were left with no means of escape from the battle that was now turning out very badly for them. As the moon rose higher the attacking force was rounded up and put in cells while Dagur was taken to be questioned by Stoick and the village elders. Astrid looked up towards the sky as the last of the fires were being put out and saw the shadow of the dragon gliding over the village before it shot off past the forest and disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The morning following the attack was a somber one, Berk had not been attacked by either dragon or man in nearly three years and it had shown in how they handled the situation. Several funeral pyre boats were prepared and sent on men and women alike on to Valhalla, the five teens managed to make it through but no one felt too happy about it, their victory came at a high price and although no one in the village would say it, they owed it to a dragon that destroyed the enemy fleet yet never once fired on the village. Astrid hadn't told anyone about her near death encounter or being saved by the dragon, she still had a hard time grasping it herself and she was the one it happened to. She also was unsure about the voice she had heard, it was hard to make out at the speed they were traveling at the time and sounded like it was already muffled to begin with so it was hard to make out entirely, but she could've sworn someone was riding that Night Fury.

Dagur and his remaining men, thirty in total, had been locked up and were awaiting trial this morning. The only reason they were not put to death immediately was because Dagur was chief of the Berserker clan and Stoick was smarter than to start an all out war the Hooligan clan couldn't hope to win. Astrid walked into the great hall to join her usual gang for breakfast before she would go into the woods for some much needed venting by burying her axe into trees for a few hours, she found them at their normal table, talking about the attack last night and how many Berserkers they had managed to take down before it ended. Snotlout managed to take seven men down which is impressive for a warrior as young as the group was, he tried to start his usual flirting with her but was stopped by her fist in his face before he got a word out. Fishlegs managed to save a family from four men but didn't actually kill any of them just knocked a few out with his considerable size, and the twins had just cause their brand of mayhem and managed to chase off half a dozen men with burns and scars while five others weren't so lucky. Astrid herself had managed to defeat nine or ten attackers before Dagur found her and had his men force her from edge, her thoughts went back to the moment she had been saved and saw those large dragon eyes looking at her but not attacking, why did they seem so familiar? She was shaken from her reflection as the Council entered the hall with the Berserker chief in tow, still chained as a precaution, the teens all rose silently and left as they were about to try and learn why Dagur had violated their peace treaty.

*Hiccup and Toothless' cove

It was just passed dawn when Hiccup arose from his slumber in the familiar yet seemingly distant cove where he and Toothless had bonded and their lives changed course. He yawned and scratched at where his left lower shin once was before remembering that he had lost it and his left foot when he had stubbornly decided to go after the queen dragon in Helheim's gate, they managed to kill the queen effectively ending all the raids in the archipelago but the resulting explosion from the Red Death after igniting the gas in it's mouth before it could fire at the pair cost him his leg when the enormous dragon's club like tail hit them while Toothless' artificial tail-fin burnt away. Had Toothless not been there Hiccup would've died for sure, and the dragon even took it a step further when he seared the wound close with his fire while Hiccup was comatose. Upon waking up little over a week later the boy, then 16, found what was left of the Red Death and fashioned a new tail for the Night Fury from the deceased dragon's skin which proved to be extremely helpful as it was fireproof. Hiccup and Toothless managed to gather as much as they could before finding a sturdy stick Hiccup could use to control the new tail until they got to a village so he could use their forge to fashion his new leg. The leg itself was nothing short of genius design, having a rotary function that swaps out different feet for the needed task, one for riding, and one walking.

He looked to his left and found Toothless curled up not to far away in the same spot he once burned a bed for himself five years before when they had first met and Hiccup was still a mild annoyance to the dragon, the young man chuckled to himself as he grabbed his armor and flight suit gear in order to get ready for the day. He had known that he would have to come here eventually, given the large number of dragons that now live all over the island of Berk away from the actual village it was inevitable. Still he had hoped it would be another few years before having to step foot back on the place that he once called home for 14 miserable years, the Berserker attack had thrown a wrench in that plan and Hiccup saw no point in avoiding it any longer. "Just play it like any other village, wear the helmet to hide your face, disguise your voice so no one recognizes you and offer to get rid of all the dragons and move on without a fuss or payment." He said to himself, he knew when he had starting helping other tribes that he was wanted for high treason on Berk and word had likely spread in the two years before he and Toothless had managed to kill the Red Death, so he snuck into a village one night and designed his helmet and armor along with the new harness for Toothless to work with his leg. It didn't take long before a village he had visited with in the past with his then father and he was also recognized by his voice, so after that Hiccup began to practice disguising it and had gotten rather good at it (almost as good as his dragon calls) and soon even he had a hard time not believing he wasn't himself. He used this new voice and a fake name he used, Ryder as a bit of a joke for himself and Toothless, to help people and avoid being found by the tribe that likely would enjoy nothing more then to see him hanged for siding with a dragon, other than killing said dragon, but Hiccup would never let that happen.

"Well whattya say Toothless? Wanna get a quick flight in before my triumphant return to Berk as a stranger?" he asked as the Night Fury rose from its sleep and helped itself to some fish they had packed with them. At the sound of going flying the dragon quickly finished his fish and bound over in excitement awaiting his rider to hop on, flipping a gear to switch to his riding prosthetic as he swung his leg over his best friend and hooking into place in one fluid motion and the two took off before starting the day.

*Forest edge, just outside Berk

Astrid tossed her axe with a grunt as it flew form her hand and sunk into a tree for the umpteenth time since she had finished her meal, let it settle and made her way to the edge of the forest. Stoick had forbidden anyone from journeying too far into the forest alone since the increase of dragons three years ago so no one would been in danger, the only one who really when far from the village was the village pain in the arse: Mildew. Astrid had always been irritated with that rule as the woods were a place for her to be alone with her thoughts and blow off steam with her workout of axe throwing, but she knew better than to cross the chief, as a shield maiden she had to follow orders like any other warrior but Stoick was kind enough to allow her the edge as long as Berk remained within eye sight. It was nearing noon and she'd have to return soon in order to see what results the interrogation of Dagur had yielded, she had three chickens on nothing. She yanked her axe from the tree and was about to head back when she heard a twig snap behind her, on instinct she gave a mighty shout and hurled her axe back towards the sound.

The sound of it hitting yet another tree was the only response her shout received, with a heavy sigh she trudged toward the tree, fifteen feet was a record throw for her and took Berk just out of her vision but she was not about to leave her favorite axe in the woods. She pulled few times and found that the axe was stuck; the blade was buried nearly to the hilt in the tree and did not want to come undone. She was so focused on her axe she failed to notice that there was a man standing not two feet from her watching the entire ordeal of her planting both feet on the tree to pull the weapon out. "You know that's a great why to lose an arm if you manage to get it free." An unfamiliar voice came to her right, the young woman stopped her struggles with her axe and slowly turned her head to the right to see who spoke, and she found a tall rather thin man standing there with his arms crossed, leaning against another tree. His face was covered by the face guard of the helmet he wore, but the smirk was evident in his voice, he also wore black leather armor on his upper torso while brown leather covered the outer rest of him showing only a familiar green under all of it and she noticed that he had a metal prosthetic where his left leg once was. As she let herself down from the tree she noted he had a dagger in a sheath on his left forearm and what looked like just the hilt of a sword on his right hip, the last thing that stood out was the two strange leather loops on either leg for no apparent reason.

"Relax, I'm not a threat." As to prove this he removed both the hilt and dagger and dropped them before moving away as a show of good faith. "This is Berk right? I've been looking for this place awhile now. I heard you had an excess of dragons." The man asked she nodded carefully not certain whether he could be trusted yet. The man clapped his hands and rubbed them together at this then came forward, placed his shoulder between her axes handle and the tree before giving the axe a good hard yank which came out with little difficulty, he turned to Astrid and handed her recently freed weapon before retrieving the things he'd dropped. "So which way is it to the village? I want to make sure I'm not stepping on anyone toes by being here."

"Who are you?" Astrid finally managed, the initial shock of finding a stranger and the follow up of him pulling her axe out despite his slim build finally wearing off. "Oh she speaks!" the man responded with a slight chuckle, "Name's Ryder, I'm here on business and wanted to check in to make sure I'm not crossing paths with anyone." Astrid pointed to the village and the man headed that way without a word, the young Viking in tow. "So…" she began, "You're a traveler?" he nodded in affirmation but still not speaking since he started for the village, if Astrid wasn't behind him and could see the look in his eyes, she'd see the grim focus he had as Hiccup underneath prepared to have to meet with Stoick the Vast for the first time in five years as another person.

Stumbling onto Astrid had been a fluke, seems like Hiccup and flukes go hand in hand on Berk. He had to take a moment to collect and steel himself before actually interacting with her; luckily he had a surplus of practice at being someone else under his helmet around people. Hiccup knew this ruse was necessary for both his own safety and Toothless'. Part of him thought he might be able to walk around in just his tunic and leggings and might not be recognized, he had filled out over the last five years from countless hours of dragon riding and built up a respectable amount of muscle given his frame from finding that he needed to be able to defend himself once he started attacking Outcasts, Berserkers, and even the Roman legion who was seeking to expand their power. These thoughts flowed through his head but were a risk he refused to take, five years ago he risked Toothless' life on the hope the girl trailing behind him might understand and they barely escaped with their lives; it was not something he was ever willing to do again.

*Meade Hall

"Dagur, why did you attack our clan?" Stoick asked for the twentieth time since he had been brought into the hall several hours earlier, the deranged chief had been giving them the run around ever since he'd been captured and showed no signs to stopping as he cackled once more before responding with the same answer as before. "I told you already, I'll answer once you tell me how you got the dragon conquerorto work with you." The council groaned again, they had tried to explain they had no contact with this supposed dragon rider that Dagur believed was controlling the Night Fury the previous night. "Come on Stoick, you really expect me to believe that during my attack a Night Fury just happened to show up and only attacked my ships?" the young man laughed again and even tried to bite a guard trying to make him settle down. As much as Stoick hated to admit it, the lunatic had a valid point; the Night Fury's cry was unmistakable as was its hit and run attack pattern. He signaled for a break as commotion from outside began to get louder. The council would convene and likely just put Dagur and his men on a boat with no weapons and just enough food to get them back home and that would be the end of it, however now the chief clearly needed to attend to whatever was causing the dull roar in the village center.

The crowd was quite large and murmuring loudly around Hiccup who was still a tad uncomfortable with being the center of attention, Astrid had followed him all the way back, occasionally twirling her axe in the corner on his vision to show she'd cut him down if he gave her reason, they hadn't spoken since he failed to verbally answer her traveler question and now she was leaning against a house next to Ruffnut and being joined by the others he once attended dragon training with. He noted they had all grown but remained the same in many ways, Astrid having clearly changed the most. She now wore a red shirt and a new spiked skirt and a fur hood resting on her back for the truly cold days of winter; while Hiccup didn't mind the cold, he definitely didn't miss it in his time away. Astrid also kept her bangs kept behind her ears now so both of her eyes could be seen clear as day, eyes which Hiccup thought he had long since gotten over seeing, he thought wrong. He hadn't thought of anyone from Berk in years, but now that he was back thoughts came flooding back in. Fortunately for the young dragon rider he was leaning on a post with a ten foot radius from the nearest villager other wise the weight of the sudden surge of memories might have cause him to lose his balance.

As he saw people start to move to the side to his right he looked over and found Gobber pushing his way from the forge and studying him, a smirk found Hiccups lips, hidden behind his helmet's face guard as he raised his leg to show his prosthetic to the large man before turning his attention to the direction of the Meade hall as Stoick made his way to the front of the crowd. The man who had disowned him stood five feet from him looking him up and down, Hiccup knew all he would see is a tall stranger in his village and in order to ward off any suspicion of his identity spoke using his fake voice and the confidence he'd gained from years to helping numerous tribes with dragons, the few he'd return to for supplies or to help a number of times considered him a source a knowledge when it came to dragon matters. "So you must be the famous Stoick the Vast!" he noted that his father's shoulder's dropped slightly at the sound of his voice, "My name's Ryder, I'm a traveler hoping I can provide your island with my services. You see I have been…" Stoick raised a hand and Hiccup stopped what he was saying.

"I think I know why you're here and I don't think I have any use of your services. If I'm correct then you're services brought a tribe we had a peace treaty with to attack us last night." The people surrounding them began to talk and the teens stood from the house they were leaning against to look from their chief to the stranger who now moved from the post he had been leaning on and walked up to the larger man until they stood a mere foot apart. "Dagur the Deranged was seeking me out, I won't deny that, I've been a thorn in his side, but the same can be said for Alvin the Treacherous and the Roman legion…" he began, he spoke at a low volume so only Stoick could hear him, "If you truly want me gone then I will leave without a fuss, I will go pack up my camp and be gone before sun down, but if you would like to get some breathing room for your village I can help. You claim to know what my services are then you know I wanted neither money nor reward of any kind, I would simply get rid of the dragons and leave your island, never to return unless it was for supplies and I was desperate." Stoick thought on this for a minute and the man continued. "I came here from the other side of your island and trekked here through those dragon infested woods and haven't so much as a scratch on me, well at least from any of them." He said with a chuckle as he looked down at his legs and chest which had a multitude of scars from a number of things that had happened since he left.

"Come with me and we'll discuss it in the Meade hall." Stoick said as they made their way back up the village. The familiar setting felt exactly as Hiccup remembered it, yet was no longer home to him; he was just a visitor and in a few days time possibly longer with how many dragons called Berk home now, he'd be gone. Timing however was not in the mood to be Hiccup's friend today as they passed Dagur while climbing the steps. Upon seeing the red insignia on his right shoulder pad the Chief who he had called friend when they were just boys leapt on him trying with all him might to beat him into submission with his face as his hands were still bound behind his back. Hiccup thankfully had received a lot of training from villages and other places he had passed through while on his travels and saw the assault coming, and was able to brace himself and flipped Dagur over him using his legs and into more guards that were responding to his sudden act of aggression.

"I knew you had him here, I knew it! Once I get back to Berserker Island I'll rally the armada and lay siege to this place for harboring our enemy. The great dragon conqueror!" Hiccup knew that was bad, he had hoped that Dagur would be sent back to his home island with his men by now and he could avoid dragging Berk into one of his personal wars. He could feel the eyes on him as the Dagur was dragged off to the prison and knew he had to do something to rectify this before he was chased out once more. "I have a better idea." He said before having really given it any thought "How's about you and me settle this little vendetta once and for all Dagur?" The Berserker stopped his struggle and regarded the man with a questioning look. "Tomorrow at high noon you and me will duel here on Berk, neutral territory," Hiccup added the last part so even the most insane person could figure out he was not working with the Hooligans, "I win you head back home and stay there, you win and you get what you always wanted."

"Me. Dead."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Everyone one within ear shot was stunned at the turn of events that had unfolded in the last few minutes. First a stranger in armor and a masked helmet named Ryder shows up and trades words with Stoick, then as the two are making their way up the steps to the Meade Hall this Ryder is attacked by a Dagur as he's being escorted back to his prison cell and reveals the visitor is the rumored dragon conqueror that was traveling the archipelago solving other tribe's dragon problems, and finally their village is threatened with war only to be reduced to a duel between Dagur and this Ryder character. The teens stood at the base wide eyed just like everyone else, duels were rare on Berk, mostly used for extreme property disputes or for the occasional hand in marriage; but for one to avoid a war and by two outsiders? It was unheard of, Dagur of course would never fail to pass on the chance to spill blood, and his actions last night proved that, so no one was surprised by his ecstatic agreement to the terms of the duel.

Astrid eyed Ryder with curiosity. What kind of man puts his own life on the line for a village he just showed up at less than an hour ago? And why not just a duel to the death instead of one where only his life could be lost? The terms were clear if Dagur lost he'd return to Berserker Island alive and stay there for at least a year, but if Ryder lost he'd be killed. It was utter lunacy to think Dagur would concede before dying or killing him, this stranger was practically sentencing himself to death. She must have been staring to long because suddenly his eyes were on her, "What?" he asked, it was the first thing he'd said to her since he'd started for the village, and Astrid was at a loss for words in response. Unfortunately she had three friends and Snotlout to cover for her.

"You're as good as dead." Snotlout said, "Dagur's crazy and isn't going to give up til you're dead, or he is." The twins and Fishlegs nodded in agreement. "Hahaha, you guys have never seen him lose a battle have you?" they all snapped their heads to look at the laughing figure, even as thin has he was he had a degree of muscle and the armor suggested he was no stranger to combat, but hearing him laugh was… unsettling. Dagur had a reputation as a warrior among the tribes which is why few dared challenge him or his armada directly, yet this guy was acting like he was going to fight a common soldier. They would have asked why he was laughing but he turned his back to them and continued towards the Meade hall, the group looked to each other shrugging and followed him; they wanted to know more about why he was so calm about the prospect of fighting a madman. Their plans would be put on hold however as the moment they entered the hall Stoick bared down on him.

"What in Thor's name do you think you are doing?" he shouted, gaining the attention of every occupant in the hall and silence held everyone's tongues. The teens moved to their regular table and decided it was best if they wait until things cooled down before probing the man for information. "Well," Ryder began "I was planning on seeing if I could eat, it's past noon and I had a small breakfast." Gobber choked a bit to suppress a laugh; few people look Stoick dead in the eye and make a joke at a serious question, this guy, whoever he was, had some serious stones as he didn't even flinch when Stoick lifted his hands and grabbed the mans shoulders. "Thins is not a laughing matter, Dagur has threatened my island with war and all it took was seeing you! So I ask again, what do you think you are doing?"

Hiccup could feel the tightness of Stoick's grip even through his armor so he gave him the answer he was looking for, the truth. "I'm preventing that war." The slur of hush whispering arose in the hall, even the teens were trying to figure out what he meant by that statement. Hiccup, as Ryder, raised his hand and held up a finger as he counted off the ways, "First a duel between me and him will either result in his being secluded to his village for a year, by which time I'll be long gone from this place, or my death in which case he has no reason to go to war with you. Second I referred to Berk as neutral ground, even someone as dumb as Dagur could figure out or that beefy guy next to the blonde beauty with an affinity for axes if looks are anything to judge by." Snotlout let out a protest but the other teens merely laughed at the joke made at his expense, Astrid was lucky the joke was made so she could hide a blush. "Look Stoick sir, I not here to cause trouble for your village, I thought he'd be gone by now and I was wrong; so I would like to make it right and hopefully prove that I am here as a friend." Stoick slowly released the man from his grip and held out his hand to both agree and apologize, Ryder shook his hand heartily and was shown to where the food was. People started returning to there meals as the tension dissipated and things fell back into their usual way of things.

Hiccup found a small table in the corner that was poorly lit so that he could remove his helmet, or at the very least rest it on the back of his head so he could eat. He was well aware that the group of teens was watching him, trying to get a glimpse of what he was hiding underneath, he was also aware his father and Gobber as well as the rest of the council were looking at him regularly and the final group was the only one he was taken back by. Teenage girls ranging from 15 and up were all staring at him like he was a thawfest medal and they were a final contender, he'd become accustom to younger girls hitting on him and staring, but these were girls from his childhood and that bothered him. He decided to ignore them and finish his cod and pulling out his journal when he noticed someone had finally had enough. Astrid was walking over towards him while the other teens watched to see if she was going to come out of it ok. Hiccup held the book just high enough to block his face before smacking his helmet back down and fastening the chin strap he had added so it couldn't be knocked or pulled off, and beckoned the young warrior forward to let her know he had seen her.

As Astrid sat across from Ryder she hid the annoyance of him hiding his face before she could get a good look at him. They sat in silence for a moment before he looked around her at the group still watching and noticed that the council and his father were outright staring as well, "Hope you don't mind having an audience for whatever it is you have to say." Astrid turned around and glared at the people and for the first time no one was affected by it, far too interested in how this was going to play out, she nearly fell out of her seat at what he said next, "No offense, ma'am but as pretty as you are I'm not looking for anyone to date." Astrid saw a mixture of suppressed laughs and gaping mouths as everyone heard what he said. Astrid herself however was pissed, first she had come over to ask about the duel and his history with Dagur and second, she was Astrid freaking Hofferson, she turned people down, she didn't get turned down. She found the best way to convey this was by slamming her axe through the table, inches away from his arm, he didn't even blink at the reaction. '_What the Hel does it take to make this guy flinch?_' Astrid though to herself '_he wasn't phased when Stoick snapped at him and I could've taken off his arm and he acts like it's just another day._'

"Okay, someone has issues with rejection…" he said lower this time so only she could hear, as far as anyone else they were still just sitting there with her glaring at him for his comment. "Look I didn't mean anything by it, but you know, I travel a lot and every village has young women wanting to flirt with the 'new meat' in the hall," He made quotation mark with is fingers when he said the meat bit, "I'm just working off past experience, you'd be surprised how many girls have tried to lop my arm off for turning down a date. So If that was your reason no offense but I'm going to pass, however if you had something else in mind please take a seat and we'll talk." Astrid's anger was still pretty palpable, but Hiccup knew she was calming since the grip on her axe loosened ever so slightly, she took her seat once more and took a deep breathe while he pulled his journal out once more, he wanted to capture that moment while it was fresh in his mind and while she collected herself for whatever it was she wanted to ask.

"I was hoping to learn why Dagur was willing to go to war with our village over one man who is supposedly just passing through." She finally said, Hiccup didn't answer right away, putting a few details in his drawing of the moment with her axe in the table, he hadn't seen that fire in her eyes since before he left. "Pretty cut and dry really, I've caused him a lot of trouble. You see we've crossed paths so many times and he's lost men and ships that would've helped spread his rule, Dagur has been using his armada to take over other villages." Astrid was not shocked by this, word had reached Berk that he was expanding the Berserker's territory, and was taking over any tribe that refuses to sign a treaty with him. Fishlegs had suddenly found his way to the seat beside her followed quickly by the twins sensing a story and eventually Snotlout who hated sitting on his own regardless of what he said. "Hey buddy," Snotlout said to get Ryder's attention, "I'd watch what you say about me, I'm the heir to Berk once my uncle retires." He meant it as a boast but since he didn't know he was talking to his long lost cousin he was given a reply. "My condolences to your tribe when Stoick retires then." Hiccup said with a broad smile under his face guard, the falter in Snotlout's face and laughter of the others were a welcome change even though he knew they thought it had come from Ryder. Hiccup tried to ignore the fact that Ruffnut was sitting on his side of the table and a little too close for comfort.

"You know you wear this armor really well," she said in a flirty tone as she winked at him, Hiccup fought the shiver that ran down his spine and merely moved over on the bench away from her. 'O_din's beard I verbally shot down Astrid in front of everyone and she's still going to try and make an advance on me?_' he thought to himself before continuing his tale of Berserker encounters. "You see Dagur wasn't lying out there when he called me the dragon conqueror, since technically being mistaken isn't lying." The teens had looks of confusion on their faces and he pressed on hoping his luck as a visitor would hold out. "You see I don't really conquer dragons, I just convince them to leave the villages alone." Astrid wore a contemplative look, one Hiccup couldn't read, Fishlegs was wide eyed as if he had realized something, Tuffnut had the same confused look as he had before, Ruffnut was winking at him again having not heard a single word, and Snotlout was just rolling his eyes.

"You mean you chase them off the island and they don't return out of fear right?" Hiccup could kick himself for not taking Snotlout's lack of higher brain function into account. "No I found a non violent way to herd them away and they stay where I convince them to go." He said it slow so the three who needed longer to comprehend it would understand, Astrid gave him a skeptical look whereas Fishlegs was getting slightly excited; the rest however looked like he had turned his head all the way around like a Stormcutter dragon. Hiccup figured it was time for a change of subject, "So tell me about life here on Berk, I've heard a lot of stories about this village, the Meatheads claimed you were cursed for fourteen years until a few years ago. What's the story behind that?" the truth was Hiccup wanted to see how his former peers saw him after five years of him being gone, Fishlegs looked down and shook his head indicating he wanted nothing to do with telling it, whether that was positive for Hiccup or not he couldn't tell, Snotlout and the twins started laughing as they thought about the idea of histime as a resident of Berk being a curse, the surprising reaction was from Astrid who quietly stood and returned to the table they had been sitting at before waiting for a new subject.

The next half hour was spent at the table in the corner being regaled with how terrible Hiccup had made life for Berk and the eventual tale of his departure from them and the 'lifting of the dastardly Hiccup curse'. Hiccup sat quietly never joining in on the laughs and never interrupting, he was surprised that even though these three knew him personally back then they still exaggerated how badly he screwed up and thought the had a face only a dragon could love jab was unnecessary, even if it was somewhat true. He wasn't surprised however when the tale came to a close and they left out how he had escaped on the back of a dragon, merely saying he had managed to get away and had most likely been eaten within a week, Hiccup made a mental note to find a way to beat the living daylights out of his cousin now that he had some muscle and fighting experience.

Once the tale was over and they moved onto asking about his adventures traveling to help villages with their dragon issues did Astrid rejoin them at the corner table, he gave her a long once over before shrugging it off as annoyance since she had never taken part in tormenting him growing up. However he was reluctant to share much about his travels as he didn't want to reveal too much and possibly be found out, thankfully Gobber had hobbled over and interrupted. "Umm 'xcuse me lad, but could I possibly get a look at tha' leg of yours? The craftsmanship is very nice and you don't see many metal peg legs." Hiccup thought this would happen back when he had shown off his little invention in the center of town and silently thanked the all father for the change in subject from his adventures, he stood and walked around the table, shoving Snotlout from the end where he had been trying to play it cool, so he could sit on the table and twisted the prosthetic to release it from the locking mechanism before handing it to his old teacher. "This is sumthin'." the smith said as he turned the leg over inspecting every inch of it, until he had stopped and focused on the foot. "Wait a minute, I know this craftsmanship, this 'ere is Hiccup's work!" He had shouted the last part with such jovial praise that it reached the ears of all still in the hall and caught the attention of Stoick who was up and walking as fast as his legs could carry him without actually running for fear that the leg would vanish if he approached to fast.

Gobber continued to study the foot, and somehow managed to not activate the spring coil that would switch the walking foot to the riding hook. Stoick looked at it as well and knew his friend would never make a statement like that without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was made by Hiccup, he turned to the man known as Ryder and asked what he knew everyone else was thinking. "When and from whom did you get this?" his voice shaking in an attempt to hide the joy at finally having some information about his son. Ryder seemed surprised by this reaction and looked around at the other teens who had been sitting with him, seeing shocked faces from four and a face of 'I couldn't care less' from Snotlout who had moved to the wall behind Astrid. "I got it just over three years ago after losing my lower shin and foot to a dragon, I had managed to get to the nearest village and was going to get one when a scrawny boy about 16 found me. He said he was a traveler as well who'd been exiled from his village and disowned by his father but he didn't seem overly angry about it. Anyway he helped me to the village and said he used to work as a smith and could forge me a new leg that would be sturdier and more reliable than any hunk of wood. Few hours later he comes back and there you have it, even managed to make parts to be added in case of growth and the size needed adjusting." Hiccup had practiced this story the night before after the attack had been quelled and he found his way to his old cove, he thanked the gods for both the increase in dragons that stopped people from traversing the forest where he was hiding and the past few years giving him a lot of practice in holding a lie together, one could never be too careful when you're hiding from people who want you dead right in front of them.

He held his hand out for his leg which Gobber returned after considering running off to the forge to keep it in Hiccups back work station and locked it back into place before Stoick asked him for more details about the 'inventor' of his leg. "The boy who made your leg, did he happen to give you his name?" Hiccup shook his head in a negative and told them that travelers, especially lone travelers tended to keep that to themselves, Stoick's shoulders sagged for the second time that day but rose back up, unbeknownst to Hiccup that he was taking some comfort knowing that his son had survived at least for two years on after he left, and while he would continue to look for word that he was alive this information would help him to keep living. Ryder had hopped off the table and was about to start for the doors when he turned back, "I'd like to find a place where my duel with Dagur won't cause any damage or endanger any of your people, can someone show me around for some prospects?" Astrid rolled her eyes as the only place to hold a duel on Berk was the dragon arena, she was brought back to reality when the masked stranger called on her directly, "Hey blonde axe girl, you seem like the type who likes to punch first and ask questions second so how about you?" She fumed but Stoick waved for her to comply and with a huff she stormed towards the hall doors.

As Astrid led Hiccup towards the ring like he knew she would after Stoick had waved for her to, the young man was asking himself what the Hel he was doing, this was the girl who was single handedly responsible for all of the events that caused him and Toothless to have to run and he had told himself that he would deal with her as little as possible. He had originally planned not to interact with any of the teens at all, he was now taller than all of them except Fishlegs and could easily pass for being older than them, but the moment he ran into Astrid, or rather her axe almost ran into his head, he kept finding himself around her, whether by her own fiery attitude or his mouth running on it's own accord. He didn't know where asking her to join him had come from, he planed to ask if anyone would show him around and then just go off on his own to 'discover' the dragon training arena; but he guessed Astrid would still be better than Ruffnut after her flirting which the thought of caused another disturbed shiver to run down his back. Astrid on the other hand was considering tossing Ryder over the edge of the bridge when they reached it, the only thing stopping her from following through was the knowledge that killing a guest of the village tended to be frowned upon and she wouldn't stand to have a stain on her reputation as a shield maiden.

As they found their way to the arena Hiccup's heartbeat sped up, all the memories of his last day on Berk five years ago filling his mind as he looked around the ring, it was pretty much the same only with a few new scorch marks from other recruits training. He glanced over at the pens that were holding the dragons kept for said training and considered freeing them once Toothless arrived using the mechanical tail Hiccup had made for when he'd be stuck in a village all day convincing them to accept his help with the dragons, he had put it on him that morning so he wouldn't be stuck in the cove. It still amazed him that Toothless preferred to need him in order to fly over being able to fly on his own but the dragon was smart and realized why he needed the mechanical tail on occasion. It took a minute before Hiccup realized the Astrid was still standing there with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, which somehow was still beautiful even though it was meant to intimidate. "This will do nicely, and your village can watch without being in danger." Hiccup said as Ryder with a nod, another moment of silence filled the air but the girl refused to move. "Uhh, is there something you needed?" he asked

"I have a name." she said curtly, Hiccup had intentionally been describing her when referring to her since she had never given 'Ryder' her name and he was meticulous with details while in his alternate persona. "Congratulations, I'm fairly certain everyone in your tribe has a name." she growled at his smartass response and her hand twitched, begging to grab the axe hanging on her skirt. "Are you seriously getting mad at me for not knowing your name which you never gave? I'm a lot of things, but a mind reader isn't one of them." Astrid wanted to fire a snappy response but realized he had a point, she had never given him her name so he only knew that she was blonde and carried an axe, but she was still pissed about how he talked to her and the whole turning her down in the Meade hall; even though she was not going to ask him out. "Tell you what, I'm sure your plenty mad about that and our little misunderstanding in the hall back there so how's about I make you an offer?" This grabbed her attention as she cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to tell her what he had in mind, anything inappropriate would result in his head leaving his body. "I will apologize to you in front of everyone in the Meade hall for saying I wasn't interested in a date with you after incorrectly assuming that's what you wanted… if you can beat me in a friendly sparring match. And if I win, you tell me your name." She considered his offer as he grabbed the strange sword hilt from his leg and waiting for her answer.

It came in the form of her diving at him with her axe drawn.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Astrid was always the type to charge head first into battle, but Hiccup was still caught slightly off guard when she came diving at him with her axe ready to take a swipe at him, he barely had enough time to dive out of the way before the axe hit where he had been not two seconds before.

Astrid lifted her axe and took her stance, now that she had caught him off his game he should be shaken enough to give her an edge in case he has any decent training. Ryder regained his footing and took his own stance while holding the empty hilt, Astrid was curious if he even realized he was coming at her with an empty handle. She heard a click as a blade sprung forth from the red and silver hilt and a spilt second later burst into flame! She looked from the flaming blade to the man holding it and back a few times and could tell he had a smug smirk under his helm, this angered her even more as she charged him and swung her axe only for it to be deflected as easily as if it were just another sword, whatever his blade was made of was incredibly tough. They sparred for nearly twenty minutes before Astrid was breathing ragged, Ryder could deflect just about everything she threw at him and what he couldn't he could avoid, he was faster than she had given him credit for and it was going to cost her the match. He dropped his stance and withdrew the blade, placing it back where it had been hanging on his leg. "You look tired, wanna give up? I promise not to tell anyone." He said with the same smirk from before evident in his voice. Astrid's grip tightened and she ran at him once more, he had put away he weapon and with her speed he wouldn't be able to draw it again before she was upon him. To her complete and utter surprise the man twisted around her avoiding her attack entirely and she felt a light blow on her back before meeting the ground, for the first time ever, someone had beaten her in sparring and she was stunned.

Before she could entirely register what had happened in the last few seconds she was being lifted to her feet, Ryder had beaten her. Astrid shook her head to clear it of the feelings of anger since he'd beaten her fair and square, but her body was less forgiving as before she knew it her fist was balled and she went to swing at him. Much to her surprise once again when it met his own open hand which closed around it before twisting her around and bringing her arms crossed in front of her as he held her in place until she fully calmed down. "Wow you really hate losing…" He let the sentence hang and she knew he was waiting for her to live up to her end of the agreement, he had beaten her and now she had to supply him with her name. "Astrid. Astrid Hofferson." She said quietly, it was at that point she realized that the sun would be setting soon and she was still being held against him from her outburst, she thanked the gods that the sky was turning red so her blush would be covered up. She didn't really know if she liked the Ryder guy but she didn't find herself in positions like this often, ever really and his earlier comment that caused her to blush was probably just from being called beautiful by someone other than her parents or Snotlout. She didn't even know what this guy looked like, and he was kind of a jerk at times, so she definitely couldn't like him.

"Well Astrid Hofferson," he began as he let her go and picked up her axe before handing to her, "you are quite a fighter. Although I'd suggest either building up your stamina or pacing yourself better, you can't depend on that burst of energy that a battle gives you forever." And with that he walked off and turned his head to the side looking up slightly, Astrid followed his gaze and found her friends standing behind the metal fencing with wide eyes having seen the sparring match. Her scowl returned but this time it was directed at the four who had been following her, they approached her carefully as she came out of the arena and she glared at Fishlegs knowing he'd break down and rat out the person who had the bright idea to spy on them. To Fishlegs' credit he did try to avoid her glare before sighing and pointing towards Snotlout, which ultimately didn't surprise her in the least. "Hey don't worry babe, we all know you're the best girl warrior on the island. I'll bet that guy cheated somehow with that crazy sword of his." Snotlout said, throwing the girl part in so he didn't have to admit she was better than him, while throwing an arm around her.

"I wouldn't do that if I where you!" Ryder called as he started down the bridge back towards the village without turning around, moments before Astrid grabbed Snotlout's wrist and twisted it, forcing him to the ground and stomping on his helmet that would leave him with one Hel of a headache. The teens couldn't be sure but they could've sworn that Ryder let out a laugh when Astrid finally stopped. Fishlegs started the group back towards the Meade hall where Ryder was also headed; he needed to talk to Stoick about the duel tomorrow before he pressed the dragon issue. The teens gathered their food and took their table, Snotlout being sure to sit at the furthest possible seat from Astrid as he normally did after she beat him to a pulp and the twins talked about how the fight they'd witnessed between Astrid and Ryder, Ruffnut gushing about his sword in some disturbing ways, and the fight taking place tomorrow. Fishlegs watched Ryder standing in front of Stoick's table reserved for the Chief and the council; although Gobber always sat there since he was best friends with Stoick and not actually on the council but no one seemed to mind (truth was they just didn't want to anger Stoick). They chatted for sometime Stoick nodding a few times in what Fishlegs guessed was related to the duel with Dagur before the two seemed to come to a disagreement about something else (Dragons most likely).

Astrid had been watching the exchange as well, she could tell that Ryder was asking about his supposed 'dragon related services' but Stoick was the epitome of Viking stubbornness, he disowned his only son because of it after all, a pang of guilt shot through her as she remembered that she was responsible for that in a large way. She looked back to see Ryder hold his hands up in surrender and walk over to the table he had occupied earlier that day, he didn't bother getting himself any food but merely reached behind the armor covering his chest and pulled out a journal and charcoal and began writing in it. Upon closer inspection she saw he wasn't actually writing but possibly drawing, he even removed his helmet and with the darkness of poorly lit corner covering his face before running a hand through his hair that could just be made out if one squinted. He stayed there for a time occasionally glancing up to look at their table or Stoick's then going back to his book, after an hour he stood, his face still concealed in the shadows before placing his helmet back on his head and fastening the strap. The teens watched as he made his way out of the hall and starting down the steps before the doors closed behind him.

Gobber had walked by and stopped at their table noticing them still looking at the doors, "I really wish he could tell us where 'e ran in ta Hiccup, he kept saying he was near death from blood loss when they ran into each other. Of course 'e hasn't really told us it was Hiccup, but I know tha' leg was forged by my apprentice." The smith said before returning to his table. Fishlegs and Astrid suddenly had the same thought and saw it in each others faces, but they'd have to catch up to Ryder and get him to divulge more about himself, they both noticed he wasn't the most forthcoming with information about his past and it'd have to be forced out of him for them to get what they wanted to know. Both rose at the same time and the twins knew the look on Astrid's face and were just smart enough to figure out that helping her outright would be better than sneaking behind her. Snotlout joined as well because, well he's Snotlout. The group left and looked for any sign of the visitor, Tuffnut spotted him heading towards the forest and the five set after him.

*Forest, ten minutes from Berk

Hiccup had had a long day and he was ready to curl up at his camp site and pass out. He was currently a few minutes out of the village and felt safe to take off his helmet, while normally he wouldn't do this without shadows or the sun being set he had heard that Stoick had forbidden people from going into the forest alone with the increase of dragons beyond the village, so he felt assured in removing it and letting the cool air wash over him. His bout with Astrid back at the arena had been fun for him and he worked up a sweat from it, Astrid may have worked up much more of one but that was beside that point. He smiled as he played the fight through his head again, had it been five years ago he'd have never dodged that initial attack and been spilt in two; however his time abroad had shown him many fighting styles and the villagers were more that happy to teach him after he'd convince the local dragons to move to another area where there'd be no conflict with the Vikings and death could be avoided on both sides, that is what he and Toothless wanted to achieve with their lives, keeping the peace even an uneasy one.

He ran his hand through his hair again; he wasn't looking forward to fighting Dagur the next day, he may be a crazed psychopath but he was still a chief and respected warrior. Hiccup knew it was the only way to avoid Berk being entirely wiped out by the Berserkers but he kept coming back to the same question: why should he care? This was the place that treated him as an outcast for his entire life, everything he did was used as fuel on the pyre they so desperately wanted to build under him, and when Astrid had finally given them the reason to he had taken the chance from them. Yet here he was about to put his life on the line so that they could keep living life thinking him a traitor and wishing him dead, only Gobber seemed happy when he had inspected his leg, everyone else seemed surprised he had survived two days let alone the two years at the time when he had made the leg; his father was clearly hoping 'Ryder' would know where his former son was hiding, in order to drag him back to be tried for treason most likely. Stoick's request for information on his whereabouts had reached a village he'd been staying at about three months after he left Berk, thankfully no one knew he was the same Hiccup and he was able to slip away. After that he began the persona of Ryder, his growth spurt and filling out from hours upon hours of riding Toothless were extremely helpful with becoming someone else in the eyes of others; the voice idea came when he was almost found by Dagur in a village called Falkreath, he'd heard Hiccup's voice when he was ordering some supplies before leaving to help another village and barely avoided him. Hiccup had been forced to become extremely wary of his surroundings not only to avoid being brought back to Berk in chains, but to survive, camping in the wilderness with Toothless could be just as perilous and he'd become a light sleeper in response.

Hiccup had stopped to lean against a tree as these thought flowed through his mind and he had yet to come up with a single reason to risk his neck for the people of Berk, Gobber was really the only person he would really hate to see killed but was one man really enough reason to save the entire village? Surely he could just swoop in with Toothless and carry him to safety somewhere. Hiccup was reminded of the previous night during the attack, he had helped the village greatly by decimating the Berserker ships but the main battle he had left to the people defending their homes and yet when he saw a Berkian forced over the cliff edge he instinctively had Toothless dive in to save them. Whoever they had saved better be thankful, Hiccup was not used to pulling off rescue maneuvers, and especially in the dead of night, thankfully Toothless had an uncanny ability to roar and find his way around using the reverberating sound like some sort of radar.

Hiccup was mulling over these things while still trying to figure out why he going to fight Dagur when he was snapped back to the moment by voices. There were two and they sounded like they were arguing, the sudden clank of helmets brought a silent groan from Hiccup as he realized who was following him: The twins. The voices continued for another minute and were getting closer so Hiccup moved to a larger tree where he would be hidden from their sight, with the sun setting tracking him would be difficult. He put his helmet back on and fastened it into place on the off chance he'd be drawn into a confrontation with them and they tried to remove it. He then climbed up the tree to further distance himself without leading them back to the cove and Toothless, once he reached his vantage point the voices stop bickering. His eyes narrowed, the fact that they stopped meant they knew he was close and wanted to sneak up on him and that meant there was a strategy in play here, which meant Astrid was involved. 'C_ould she really be that pissed I beat her?_' Hiccup thought to himself as Tuffnut jumped out from behind the tree Hiccup had been leaning against as if he expected 'Ryder' to be behind it. Ruffnut came out next and flicked his arm before giving him a shush finger and the two crept forward looking to the sides as they slowly looked for him, Snotlout walked out next with his chest puffed out trying to appear as manly as possible, Hiccup assumed Astrid was not far behind him and he was still showing off for her. Fishlegs was next and he was the only one actually trying to track 'Ryder' as he was looking for snapped twigs and crushed leaves, he managed to pick up the few misdirects Hiccup had intentionally left. They scoured the area for a few minutes when Hiccup noticed something… where was Astrid?

He got his answer in the form of her boots swinging into his torso from a few branches above him. He hit the ground hard and the wind was momentarily knocked out of him. '_Guess that means yes to the sore loser question_' Hiccup as he caught his breath and was vaguely aware Snotlout was charging him. He managed to push himself off the ground and dodge Snotlout before giving him a kick to the backside to keep his momentum going, straight into another tree, Ruffnut tried to either tackle him or hug him, but with the air returning to his lungs Hiccup managed to catch her by the wrist and spin before throwing her into Tuffnut who hit the ground. Hiccup turned to Fishlegs who had yet to actually do anything when he remembered Astrid and side stepped her next pounce, he managed to roll away, grabbing the knife on his left forearm and picked up Snotlout; holding the blade to his neck. The others stopped when they saw the gleam in the orange light, Hiccup needed to find a way to get away without any of them following him. "Alright listen," he commanded as he took a step back, "I came here to try and help your people and am even putting my ass on the line for something that's my fault. But I'm tired and would like to return to my camp. ALONE." He emphasized the last part loudly and by pressing the knife slightly harder against his cousin's neck. "I'll let the tough guy here go and you lot head back to your village." Hiccup slowly began to release Snotlout when the future chief did something stupid, as usual to impress Astrid.

"Don't worry babe, you want this guy detained, I'll detain him." He said as he tried to turn and grab Ryder, this resulted in his head being grabbed and slammed into the nearby tree; he hit the ground unconscious with a nasty gnash on his forehead. Tuffnut gave wild yell and ran at Ryder, only for his opponent to spin and stick his leg out to trip the male twin before bringing his elbow down hard on Tuffnut's back and in ten quick seconds two of the five were down. Ruffnut had beaten her brother a lot and he usually just popped back up and asked for more, this time however he hit the ground and stayed there; this enraged her and now it was her turn to rush Ryder, only to meet his open palm which sent flying back before hitting her head on a large rock rending her unconscious as well. Astrid could barely believe what she was seeing, they had formed a plan to surround him and confront him about Hiccup and it was falling to shambles around them. She was so shocked by this she almost didn't noticed Fishlegs charge Ryder only for the masked man to jump to the side and chop the back of the larger ones neck, landing on top of Snotlout before also slipping out of the world of the waking.

Astrid was frozen but not by fear, but shock. Fear had no place in her life, not after her uncle Finn was killed by the Flightmare. She watched carefully as Ryder sheathed his dagger and regarded her. "You plan on a direct assault too? Or did you learn something from our little sparring match? I thought that was supposed to be friendly by the way, this…" He gestured to the four knocked out around him, "doesn't feel very friendly to me." Astrid knew he would be prepared for just about anything she could throw at him by this point, their sparring from earlier and her friends currently on the ground were proof of that, so she did the only thing she could think of. Dropping her arms by her side and showing she had no intention of attacking caught him by surprise but just like he had done several times now, he recovered quickly.

"Care to tell me why the bunch of you are following me?" he asked, she could hear how tired he was, and yet he still managed to take down four people by himself, had he been fully alert she was willing to bet they'd have never been able to follow him. With a sigh she figured the truth was definitely the best path here. "We… we wanted to ask you more about the boy who made you your leg." She said as she pointed to his peg leg, Ryder looked at his leg then back to her as the last of the sunlight started to give way to the night and his armor began to blend in due to its black coloration. With a sigh Ryder unhooked a small bag from his belt and tossed it too Astrid. "Hold that under their noses for a few seconds and it should wake them up, after that find me in you Meade hall tomorrow morning and I'll tell you and only you what you want to know. You can tell them afterwards but I'm not about to be backed into a corner like this again." As Astrid opened the bag a foul odor met her nose and she held it away before moving towards Ruffnut to wake her.

Once the four teens were awake they noticed that the spot where Ryder had been standing was now covered in a thick green fog, Tuffnut being careless got right up next to it when a soft click sounded and the fog became engulfed in flames before turning into a small explosion. Once the smoke cleared Ryder was long gone and the five began the walk back to Berk.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hiccup woke the next morning feeling refreshed yet annoyed, he knew he was going to have to explain to Astrid more about his leg and had yet to think of anything to say that didn't reveal that Ryder and he were one in the same. Though a smile did grace his face when he picture her face realizing she lost to Hiccup the useless, turned traitor and outcast. Toothless was stretching from his spot nearby and noticed his rider was up early, he had been a little miffed when Hiccup had told him they'd have to wait until morning to go flying together but could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Hiccup had a bad habit of becoming a little too involved with his fake identity, and was only truly himself when with his dragon, too the point where Toothless worried about his rider every time he went into a new village. And now they were at the very village where they had met and the people had run off Hiccup just for becoming friends with Toothless, the dragon could also smell the blonde girl on Hiccup, the one that ran away from them after finding Toothless in the cove. Her scent was one the Night Fury would ever forget since it was her who caused the other Vikings to chain him up and would have killed him had Hiccup not intervened at the last second, for his rider to have that smell on him was disturbing to Toothless and he worried that Hiccup would get hurt again. The dragon huffed, sometimes he wished the boy could speak dragon.

The sun wasn't quite up yet so the village was still sound asleep when the two took flight for the morning as was their custom, Hiccup had some strange vendetta against the word tradition. Toothless could tell his rider was stressed about something and wanted to help him, when they were flying together things always seemed so simple, Hiccup felt free just like any dragon in the air. Today was no exception as he pushed Toothless to fly at dangerous speeds and stalling in the air to fall for a bit before pulling out of the fall to glide in the clouds, Toothless knew his rider was clear headed the moment he asked him if he was ready to give it another try. The dragon's eyes widened before rolling and grumbling as the reassurance from the boy that everything would be fine. He knew after he had to save his rider again they'd part ways for the day and Hiccup would have to deal with the village they both despised so much, but for the moment he had to catch up to the free falling young man.

*Meade hall

Astrid walked into the hall and her eyes sought the darkened corner where Ryder could be found, sure enough he sat there with his journal in hand waiting for her. She noticed a plate sat across the table from him and the one in front of himself was already cleaned, and the one he clearly gathered for her had some chicken which was still warm and smoked cod with a cup of meade nearby to wash it down. She looked from the plate to the man on the other side of the table who was still drawing something in his journal and had yet to even spare her a glance, she decided he could be trusted not to poison her, but was wary after that escape trick. The twins were familiar with the gas which had come from a Zippleback, but how had he managed to use it? Or did he have a Zippleback under his control? These were just added to the questions she already had in store for him, but she wanted to know about Hiccup first.

By the time Astrid had finished her meal and downed the last of her meade Ryder still had not looked away from his journal and her patience was wearing thin. "So are we going to talk about Hiccup or is this how you get your dates?" She immediately regretted saying that as his head snapped towards her and for the first time she noticed he had emerald green eyes which pierced her with guilt; reminding her of the day Hiccup left and how their eyes met for a brief moment before he refused to kill his dragon. "No, I loved a woman once and it ended badly for me, but try as I might I doubt I'll ever truly be over her and no other woman in the world can convince me otherwise. Don't believe me? Just go ask around the villages I've helped. And for the record, we've been waiting for him." He said solemnly before a loud thud sounded next to Astrid and she found Stoick sitting beside her. "I know I said I'd talk to only you last night, but I thought about it and think he should hear what is going to be said. It may be his last chance since I'm likely to die in a few short hours."

"I'm willing to hear you out Ryder, what news do you have of my son?" Stoick asked, had Hiccup not been sitting he might have lost his footing when the man who disowned him referred to him as his son. These were the two people most responsible for Hiccup becoming the man he was today, in many respects he felt he should thank them for allowing him to travel the world and learn about dragons and even some of the fighting skills he now had. But he still harbored great anger towards the pair from chasing him from the only home he ever knew, he had found new places to live but they were never truly home, for as much as he hated Berk it would always be home for him. Hiccup looked at them for a second, Stoick was waiting patiently, any information that could lead to finding and possibly capturing his son would be worth any wait Hiccup imagined, but Astrid's interest in the matter confounded him when he was trying to figure out why after returning to his camp in the cove the previous night. Silently he pulled out the map he'd been making over the last three years and tossed it on the table.

"Take a look at that." He said curtly, the pair gave him a skeptical look before Astrid reached out and unclasped the leather binding and began to unfold it. The map was huge, larger than the table they were sitting at, Astrid and Stoick both had looks of astonishment on their faces as they saw Berk and what lied beyond the edges of every map they had on the island. Boats could only carry one so far before supplies got low and they were force to turn back, however on the back of a dragon Hiccup had seen far away lands that they had never dreamed of, this map was one of the things he was extremely proud of. "Your former son charted everything on this map, when he started running out of space he'd just add another page, with the help of his dragon, that boy has probably charted more of the world than any other being alive." He told them, watching intently to see their reaction to the mention of Toothless. Stoick hands twitched, tempted to make a fist but Astrid looked up and back down at the map with a face full of wonder, trying to imagine the things Hiccup had seen. "As you both already know he also forged my leg for me after his dragon helped sear the wound close before I died of blood loss. He even made me this," Hiccup continued placing his sword, Inferno, on the table for them to see. "they're made from something he calls Gronkle iron, which is lighter yet stronger than any weapon you have here. The blade is coated in Monstrous Nightmare saliva which sets it on fire, while the pommel spills out Hideous Zippleback gas and causes a spark when snapped closed to light it." Stoick looked over the weapon, marveling at the craftsmanship, he wasn't overly surprised his son had designed such a weapon, however getting the dragon materials is something he thought might would kill someone.

His son had done all this over the five years he'd been gone, Stoick's blood still boiled when he heard that Hiccup was still running around with that dragon, but he couldn't deny that he had done some amazing things. Charting a map on his own while clearly improving his forge skills showed he refused to give up and die just because his father was too stuck in his ways to listen to him for once. Stoick saw now that Hiccup had truly done something marvelous and it was probably due to that Night Fury he had risked his own life for that fateful day, the chief knew he had to convince this Ryder to either tell him where his son was or bring him to Berk so that he could beg his son's forgiveness and ask to be his father once again. He knew it was a long shot, Hiccup likely had found a new life and moved on wanting nothing more than to forget the place where he had been treated so badly even by his own father, but he had to try and atone for the years he ignored and mistreated his son. And the only chance he had was sitting across from him about to risk his life to protect a village he didn't know from a hole in the ground. "Ryder, I know I have no right to ask this but… can you tell me where my son is?" Astrid looked to her chief with a face of surprise, she was about to ask where Hiccup was as well, she wanted to apologize to him for what she had done, betraying him on a personal level after he had stopped his dragon from mauling her. She had always felt guilty deep down, but at the time she did what was expected of her and what he had said to her that night from his cell haunted her at times. "I don't care that I betrayed the Viking way, I know what I did was the right thing and I'd rather die for doing something right than live doing what I know is wrong.' Hiccup's words rang through her head, what if she had just stayed and heard him out that day? Would things be better? This thought ate at her, and she needed the answer from the source of the pain: Hiccup.

Ryder looked Stoick square in the eye, reading the older man before answering his question. "No." He said, with a drip of malice in his voice, "I know all about how he was treated here, by his own people, HIS OWN BLOOD!" Ryder shouted, everyone was taken aback by his sudden outburst, he had been respectful, kind and even playful with the teens at times but now he was truly pissed off, Stoick knew the younger man must feel strongly about how Hiccup was treated, even other chiefs had looked down on his treatment of his son. Yet their disapproving looks never hurt like the words coming from the only one who might know where to find him and Stoick knew some of that it must stem from Hiccup himself whether or not he did it intentionally. "I mean wow, I got the kid was clumsy and had a knack for build amazing devices that usually needed more fine tuning, but you guys treated him worse than some of the outcast he and I met! OUTCASTS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! And you want me to tell you where he is so you can drag him back to that!?" Astrid had never actually taken part in the way Hiccup was treated before he left, but she never did anything to stop it either, as much as she considered herself above talking down to people she was probably worse for never trying to lift him up either. "You don't even realize what you could have on this island had you listened to that boy, he's been living on his own mostly with a NIGHT FURY, the unholy offspring of lightening and death, and every time I see them together it acts like a puppy! Sure a giant, scaly, flying, fire-breathing puppy but a puppy all the same! Hel if it weren't for him, you'd all still be enduring dragon raids!" Ryder paused after saying this, every soul had been watching and now they all had their mouths hanging at the thought of owing Hiccup the useless for stopping the raids.

Hiccup hadn't meant to give anyone that tidbit of information; he was so fired up by his father asking to know where he was that he just went off like a Skrill. He looked around the hall at all the astonished faces, Snotlout's easily being the most gratifying, and figured he might as well hit them with a dose of reality to how much a dragon and rider could accomplish together. "Hiccup found their nest in Helheim's gate, turned out there was an enormous queen dragon that he called the Red Death controlling all the smaller dragons. And when I say enormous, we're talking the size of a small mountain here," There was a wave of gasps and murmurs spreading through the people, Astrid had her hand over her mouth and Stoick's eyes were widened and mouth ajar. "Yeah and if the smaller dragons conducting the raids didn't bring back enough food, the Red Death would eat them. So really you were all murdering a bunch of innocent animals trying to avoid dying themselves, you still feel good about all those heads you've mounted on your walls? Be sure to brag about how you killed a creature being held hostage, and see how big and bad you feel then." Several heads looked down in shame; the blonde beauty two feet in front of him was among them, confirming what he had suspected of her. The twins and Fishlegs shared looks of horror, while Snotlout merely shrugged in an uncaring fashion. "So Hiccup drew out the queen with the help of his Night Fury and managed to kill it! You lot drove him off for not killing one but he still ended up killing a dragon, the last one he hopes he ever has to kill, and pretty much saved who knows how many lives. And he didn't bother returning to demand an apology or to be let back in because he isn't like that; you know what he is like? He's the guy who doesn't ask for anything in return, Hel he even turned the tide for you a few days ago when the Berserkers attacked."

This proclamation caused a commotion in the hall, a mixture of realization and anger along with protests. Astrid's eyes widened this time as she thought back to when she'd been saved after being forced over the cliff that night; she had heard a voice, Hiccup's voice. Stoick was also trying to wrap his mind around it, while no one would admit it, the battle surly would have been lost had it not been for the arrival of the Night Fury, and it only targeted the ships, never the village. Ryder's words carried louder than the people of the hall, "What years after he left you never saw another Night Fury attack your village, then the raids stop, Thanks to Hiccup, and when your village is taken in a surprise attack one just happens to show up again and never fire on it? That kind of thing doesn't happen unless someone was aiming that dragon, it's smart I know that first hand, but only someone who knew the area and what was going on could have made sure only to destroy the attacker's boats." Both Astrid and Stoick wondered if that meant Hiccup was nearby or even on the island, this must have shown on their faces because Ryder looked directly at them and shook his head negatively.

While Hiccup felt a pang of guilt in his gut when he saw the hurt in his father's eyes as well as the girl he both loved and despised, what he had told her earlier was true, he doubted he'd ever be over her and being around her was just rekindling those feelings he had tried to bury years ago. Maybe if she could show 'Ryder' she was truly sorry for her actions she could be given a chance to redeem herself to him, his father would have a much harder time doing the same, since her had nearly 14 years of treating him like a burden or unwanted problem to make for. He scanned the hall and studied the villager's reactions, the one that stood out apart from the from the two people directly in front of him was Gobber, who was currently punching anyone who was protesting that Hiccup was in anyway capable of doing something helpful. He smiled under his face guard and suppressed the urge to laugh before taking his leave of the hall, considering they were almost evenly spilt on what he had just revealed to them he was fairly certain they'd be busy until it came time for his duel with Dagur. He made his way down to the forge where he used to work and considered working on Inferno to try and give himself an edge over his opponent, but knew ultimately it would come down to skill. He was going to have to let Dagur live, even though Berk was neutral ground for this fight the Berserkers would attack in full force if Dagur were to die here, duel or no.

The sounds of approaching footsteps met his ears as he turned around to find Astrid behind him, '_Gods can't she leave me alone long enough to keep from falling for her again?_' Hiccup thought to himself. She didn't say anything, he could tell she was thinking of how to word it and had reached him before she had managed to come up with anything. He didn't want to shout at her so he knew he would have to either push her away or take a risk in answering her question. "Look I'm not really crazy about blowing up like that again, and considering you're the girl who broke Hiccup's heart I can almost guarantee it'll happen again if we try to sort it out right now." Astrid's face told him everything he needed to know, she wanted to talk about when she had turned him in. "Look I know the whole story, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who does aside from him and the dragon. I know you were jealous of him for the sudden jump to the top of the class in dragon training, and I got from our sparring match that you don't like being anything less than the best at whatever you choose to do." And just as Hiccup feared, his mouth kept going. "But to turn him in like that? Gotta say not the greatest quality, he saves you from getting mauled and as thanks you get him locked up. You seem nice enough when you're not trying to murder people with that axe of yours, or that glare…" He said while on the receiving end of said glare, "But you could have at least heard him out." He could tell Astrid was fighting to control her temper right now as her hands were shaking while clenched into fists, but what she said next nearly put him on the floor.

"You're right." There was no sarcasm or anger in her voice, only guilt? And possibly regret. Tears slowly made their way to brim on Astrid's eyes, she knew she had done the wrong thing that day and it was suddenly hitting her with the full force of five years of buried guilt. Ryder's words stung like Nadder spines and the truth of them had knocked away any excuse she had been telling herself since Hiccup had left, she slid to her knees, not caring that Ryder was watching or if anyone else saw her, she now fully understood why Hiccup would have rather died that day then kill a dragon and live. He had been the only one to actually study a dragon and get to know it, even Bork the Bold had only learned about dragons solely to kill them. Hiccup learned to understand them in a way no one else had and as a result was the first Viking, no first person to ride a dragon and she had destroyed his life out of self pity and jealousy, and she dared call herself a shield maiden. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her and stand her up quietly; she opened her eyes to see Ryder was hugging her and to her surprise she felt safe in his arms. He walked her over to the forge and led her inside, being sure to close the windows and doors before returning to hold her as she broke down. For some reason he was making sure no one saw her cry and her reputation as a warrior of Berk wouldn't be stained, and as she composed her self she hid another blush under the guise of wiping her leggings of dirt and adjusting her skirt. "I know I'm probably the first on a long list of people Hiccup never wants to talk to again but please, if he's somewhere out there can you take me to him? I need to apologize and beg him to forgive me for running to his father that day five years ago. And then I need to thank him and his dragon for saving my life when I was forced off the cliff face during the Berserker attack." Tears threatened her eyes again and Ryder was clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation now.

Hiccup had been unaware that it was Astrid he and Toothless had saved that night, not that they wouldn't have if he had known, but it suddenly changed things to know he saved the girl who had altered his life in the most radical way possible just a few nights ago. "I'll… I'll think about it if I survive the match, but I don't promise anything. It'd be easier if you showed him you meant it by training your own dragon and finding him but he's the only one who knows how to do that." He saw she wasn't disheartened by this, seeing that even just a silver of hope was good enough for her at this point, Toothless was gonna bite his other leg off when he finds out about this…

The two were brought back to reality when a bell began to ring from the Meade hall indicating it was time for the duel. They made their way out of the forge and towards the arena and possibly the end of Hiccup's life, he glanced up and saw Toothless had perched himself on top of the cliff above the ring and would more than likely swoop in the try and save him should things go wrong. His attention was brought back to what was going on around him when he reached the entrance ramp and was suddenly hugged again by Astrid, thankful for the face guard on his helmet to hide the blush. She let him go after a second and walked over to where she and the other teens had stood the day he left and joined the four already standing there. Hiccup ignored Snotlout, who was staring daggers at him, and turned towards the entrance, in the center of the ring stood Dagur in full armor and his sword already brandished just waiting for Stoick to start the fight. With a deep breath Hiccup started forward.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ok usually I never do this, I don't put up notes to tell you a new chapter is up, you can clearly tell that by being on this page and I'm not going to insult your intelligence like that. However I'm sure many of you have been waiting for this for the last few chapters and wanted me to get on with the duel already so I just wanted to let you all know that this entire chapter is dedicated to the duel and noting else, I've been building up to this fight and I want it to be the pay off you deserve. For this chapter and this chapter only, we will be seeing things from Hiccup's point of view, after that it's back to third person and I don't want any messages complaining about it. And for the record, yes all the characters look like they do in HTTYD2. On a side note thanks to those who have reviewed and/or favorite/followed this story, the internet love you have shown me keeps me warm at night, but as I said I don't do these author notes often and don't plan on more in the future. DON'T EVER GET USED TO IT.**

Chapter 7

*Hiccup's POV

I made my way to the center of the arena and stood across from Dagur, I know in terms of raw strength that he has me beat, but I have speed and ingenuity on my side and if I play this right I could wear him out quickly. Thankfully Dagur preferred heavy armor for the utmost protection from his enemy's weapons, but he didn't know about Inferno, in fact only Stoick, Astrid the other teens did, before them only wild dragons had ever seen it. I was taking what little time before the duel was officially started to clear my head from all distractions, the crowd's cheering faded and the only sound I heard was my steady breathing and heartbeat like I had learned in my travels, I opened my eyes to see Dagur sneering at me while holding his sword as menacingly as he could. I ignored this and looked to where the man I once called father stood and gave him a curt nod to signal that I ready to begin, for the third time in my life I was about to risk my life for people who would probably kill me themselves if I were to remove my helmet and reveal myself to them, but considering what happened with Astrid outside and then within the forge I knew that the few here worth saving outweighed the rest.

"My friends," Stoick shouted so everyone could hear him and the crowd ceased its noise. "Today we are here to witness the duel between our visitor Ryder, and Dagur the Deranged to decide which of these two is superior! Should Ryder emerge victorious then Dagur has agreed to return to Berserker Island and not step foot off it for one year! Should Dagur win then Ryder has offered his life in place of Berk!" the crowd roared once again, but I was already focused on my opponent in front of me, any second Stoick would start the fight and I had no intention of being caught off guard like I had been with Astrid. "The fight will end when either one of the fighters is unable to continue or rendered unconscious." The look on Dagur's face would tell anyone he had no intention of stopped should he manage to knock me out. "BEGIN THE MATCH!"

As expected Dagur let out a crazed scream as he lunged at me, I jumped to the side as the adrenaline kicked in taking the same approach as I did with Astrid only on a much more dangerous level. I slid an inch or two and regained my footing before charging him, this confused Dagur and likely everyone watching as I had yet to draw my sword. As I got close I jumped and flipped over Dagur, landing behind him and spotting where his armor was being held together in the back, a smirk coming across my face as a plan started to fall into place. With everything figured out all that was left was the execution, and hopefully mine wasn't included in there, I'd have to tire him out and from our past encounters I knew I couldn't bait him with words so I wasn't going to waste valuable air on something like that. Instead I settled for something more infuriating: goofing around.

As I ducked below his blade again I popped back up and gave his face a smack, vaguely aware that part of the crowd was laughing at his expense. The desired effect took hold immediately, as Dagur hated not being taken seriously, he let loose an enraged roar and came at me again, this time only have me do a string of back flips out of his reach before landing like a performer and held my hands out to him as if he were my co star, more laughter was registered in the back of my head as Dagur's face became red as a tomato. He was clearly losing what little self control he had to begin with as he came swinging his blade wildly in an unpredictable pattern that I knew I couldn't avoid, so I did something that worked for me and Toothless when we ran into a particularly testy white dragon that liked the reflection off my old Gronckle iron shield. I turned around and ran. As I thought Dagur kept after me, all the while swinging and screaming like a madman; he never saw it coming.

I put all my strength into running at full speed, Dagur did the same, he was so focused on catching and killing me that head didn't notice we were head straight for the wall. Saying a quick prayer to the gods that this would work and the training I received from a surprisingly nice band of assassins far to the east was worth it; I lifted my right leg higher and planted it on the wall. My momentum carried me up as I managed to push myself up for two more steps before shoving off the wall over my pursuers head and weapon, I was surprised this move worked so the split second glimpse I got of Dagur's dumbfounded face before slamming into the wall was priceless. I shot my arms out in front of me and ducked into a roll to come to a stop on my feet and looked at where I had been mere moments ago, Dagur was still plastered against the wall and given the red splatter I could see, had most likely broken his nose on impact. My suspicions were confirmed when he fell to the ground and I saw his nose was misshapen and bleeding profusely.

I took this brief moment while he was stunned to look around at the people watching, they had all become silent as the grave upon witnessing my crazy stunt. Stoick and Gobber had their shoulders dropped and bewilderment written all over their faces and when I looked to my former peers I found their mouths hanging in an almost comical way; you'd think after taking four of them down in less than a minute they'd be less surprised, but they were clearly far more shocked than the rest. I made a mental note to apologize to Ruffnut for the previous night, I had been caught up in the moment and reacted to her charging me when I usually refrain from hitting women. That's when I caught Astrid sudden gasp, all outside distractions melted away again as I jumped to the right a moment to late.

Dagur's sword pierced my left forearm.

Being left handed meant that Dagur had just taken out my strong arm; I cursed myself for getting distracted by the people around me, especially her. I had been in a lot of battles and as a result had been forced to take lives, it was not something I ever liked and my hesitation left me with more than my fair share of scars on roughly 20% of my body, this was just one more being added. Dagur's ridiculous laugh reaching my ears made me curse my own stupidity for not keeping focused and now needing to get free before he took my arm off. I blocked out the pain as I took Inferno off my leg for the first time, clicked the spring to release the blade and cut the weapon in half. I then grabbed the part of the blade still protruding from my arm and yanked it out, biting my tongue as I tried to block out the pain, this threw even Dagur off but he was staring greedily at my weapon. I was able to catch him in that moment as I threw the still sharp blade through his right calf, which would buy me some time to stop the bleeding and slow him down in the process.

While he was howling in pain I took Inferno and placed the burning metal against the open wound in my arm, shouting in pain before repeating the process on the back of my arm where the sword had entered, cauterizing the wound before it could get infected or bleed too much. I opened my eyes once I removed Inferno and saw Toothless was currently stopped halfway down the large metal chain that held the cage of the arena in place, I gave a quick nod that he saw and stopped but to anyone around the ring watching would just seem like I was trying to shake off the pain. The Night Fury didn't like when he couldn't help me in my battles, when we fight together it's always as one and it's easy to forget that we can't always be there when we want to be, but Toothless was as smart as his breed was rare and began moving back up the chain to avoid being seen by the villagers.

I returned my attention to Dagur who was still trying to pull the blade half of his sword out of his calf, I walked up to him and held the still flaming sword in my right hand, silently thankful that same group of assassins insisted I become proficient with my weapons in both hands in case something went wrong. "Surrender Dagur, if you pull that blade out it'll only be a matter of time before you pass out." I was hoping that since this wasn't a duel to the death he'd be willing to admit defeat, trying to see the best in people like always. I should have known better, instead he tackled me, knocking Inferno out of my hand as he did, it landed a few feet away and retracted the blade but opening the Zippleback gas compartment which began spewing out and quickly covering the arena. Within a minute no one could see us in the cloud, I knew we had to be careful since one spark would ignite it and possibly kill both of us if we weren't careful, but this also provided me the opportunity I needed to get around Dagur and put my plan into motion. I kicked him off of me and rolled away into where the gas was heaviest, spending too much time in the gas would start to effect both of us, but I had built up a tolerance after spending so long gathering it to perfect Inferno. I heard Dagur charge headlong in after me and closed my eyes, and steadied my breathing once more, I could hear him moving to my left, opening my eyes again I crept up behind the appropriately named deranged boy and tackled him from behind.

Once he was on the ground I twisted his arm around his back to prevent him from escaping and with my recently injured arm began to pull at the straps keeping his armor in place. He managed to roll over and throw me off, but not before I got just enough straps undone; now all I needed was get Inferno back and I could end this. That would prove difficult in the Zippleback gas though as it tended to linger for a long time unless lit, and it was starting to take its toll on me. Dagur was already fighting to stay on his feet, the combination of the gas and the blade still in his leg doubling anything I was about to do to him. His vision must have been starting to blur because he dived haphazardly at me, unfortunately I was also growing tired and he managed to land on top of me. We rolled around for a few minutes before I finally managed to toss him off me and into the nearby wall we had ended up almost rolling in, the gas was starting to dissipate and my vision was returning as it did. There was still plenty to cause a painful explosion, but not enough to kill one or both of us, I needed to find Inferno and quickly, surely all the gas was gone and I would need some left to finish the fight, glad I kept spare cartridges on my right legging at all times.

I looked around me frantically and suddenly found Dagur standing in front of me, holding my weapon in his hand and smiling evilly as best he could with a broken nose. "I finally got you dragon conqueror! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dagur cried out, I prepared to dodge when I noticed one very important detail, one that could give me the upper hand and distract him just long enough to disarm him once again. I stood up straight and puffed my chest out, daring him to try and end me. With an insane cackle he swung, I heard the crowd gasp as nothing happened, a smile gracing my lips as Dagur swung the weapon again and again but the blade remained retracted. He was getting frustrated again as he pulled his arm back slightly to examine Inferno and I made my move. In an instant I pulled the dagger sheathed on my left arm, thanking Odin that it wasn't hit when I was stabbed earlier and jammed it in Dagur's arm holding Inferno, causing him to drop it and try to grab my arm and remove the small blade.

I took the chance and dove for Inferno, picking up as I tucked into another roll. I turned to find Dagur bearing down on me and knew I had no place to go this time so I caught him by his shoulders to stop his approach. It worked to a degree, I managed to stay upright but realized that he had intended for it to play out like this, and my dagger was now lodged in my lower stomach. I had to end this soon, the burning pain in my left arm from searing the wound closed was taking a lot out of me and to do it again to a stab wound in my abdomen would render me unconscious in a matter of minutes. I looked around to find a way to get Dagur away from me so I could change the cartridges of gas and end it, when he began twisting the knife. I couldn't stop the shout of pain that escaped my lips and could feel the world starting to darken around me when I felt it, the sword still lodged in Dagur's leg, all the adrenaline must be numbing it for him, so I reminded him the best way I could think of in that moment. I raised my prosthetic and with as much force as I could muster stomped down on the blade, making it cut through his calf even further. Dagur fell back in another howling fit of pain as I head butted him for extra space. I fell to the ground as well with the dagger still in my stomach, changing the cartridge as fast as I could while fighting to stay conscious and released the gas to block the crowd's view of us once again.

While the freshly made cloud was still hanging around us I unclasped the strap on my helmet a tilted it back so Dagur would see the face of the man who beat him, not Ryder the mysterious dragon rider, but Hiccup, I lifted him with my the little strength I had left and released him as his eyes widened in recognition. As he hit the ground once again I refastened the strap on my helmet before crouching and scraping Inferno across the stone floor to create a spark before curling into a ball for protection, the resulting blast brought several yells from the watching villagers as the smoke cleared to reveal Dagur lying on the ground and my struggling to stand up. Once people realized who was in which position cheers started once more, however only I noticed that Dagur was still conscious and trying desperately to get up, I limped my way over to him as my good leg was shaking with each step and flung his armor off with a degree of difficulty. I managed to drag him to his feet and brought close to my face so he could see the seriousness in my eyes despite the face guard. "Stay away from Berk Dagur…" I said in my normal voice in a low and threatening tone, "Or next time we meet, I will kill you." And with that I clicked the spring mechanism on Inferno allowing it to do the work of carving through his lower right abdomen, holding it there so it would burn the flesh and cauterize it as he lost consciousness and fell back on the arena floor.

I pulled the knife out of my own stomach and cauterized it as well before I fell back as well, holding the now retracted blade up in victory as blackness enveloped everything. The last thing I was aware of was hands lifting me up before I also drifted off into the world of darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Astrid couldn't believe the fight she just witnessed, well most of anyway, some of the thing Ryder had pulled off were nothing short of astounding and for once even Snotlout was speechless, never once claiming he could do what Ryder was doing. When Dagur had managed to stab Ryder through his left arm, which he had used during their sparring match just the day before she thought he had bought himself the match, but Ryder's quick reaction and fluid moments showed he was well practiced with both hands in weapons combat. It's safe to safe everyone had wide eyes when he pulled out the blade and 'returned' it to Dagur before searing both sides of his arm to prevent from bleeding out, and his shouting wasn't as loud as it should have been for someone pressing burning metal against their flesh. The most nerve wracking part was when Dagur tackled Ryder knocking the weapon from his hand and releasing the Zippleback gas over the entire arena, Astrid knew the tiniest spark and the entire lowered ring would go up in flames, killing anyone down there.

For having only know Ryder a couple days, she was very nervous at the thought of him losing or dying in that arena, maybe it's because he was her only chance at finding Hiccup or maybe it was how he treated her as a friend for the most part, Hel he'd even seemed friendly when he was getting onto her about Hiccup outside the forge. Not many would have taken her inside so no one else would see the great Astrid Hofferson almost cry, and even less would actually keep it to themselves, but he was one of them, just like Hiccup would be.

While the duel may have only lasted about 27 minutes, in was quite something to behold and when Ryder had released the blade and ended the fight without killing Dagur everyone was amazed, even Stoick. Dagur had earned his reputation in combat for never stopping until his opponent was dead and said death is the only thing that would stop him a fight, yet Ryder had pushed both himself and Dagur to the very limits of their bodies and came out on top, if only barely. Two stab wounds being seared shut like that and a lesser man would've given in within a few minutes but Ryder had managed to fight nearly fifteen minutes after his arm was patched in the fight. Astrid made a mental note to threaten Snotlout with that if he ever claimed he could beat Ryder in combat, which hopefully would never happen considering who gave him the gash currently bandaged on his head.

Once the fight had ended and Ryder had passed out from everything he'd just gone through Stoick rushed into the arena, while others were celebrating that Dagur would have to return to Berserker Isle and remain there for a year he was carrying the young man who could lead him to Hiccup towards Gothi's house. Gobber wasn't far behind, mumbling something about Ryder not getting out of telling him about his apprentices wellbeing that easily, and Astrid towed behind as well keeping her distance so they wouldn't spot her, after all she still needed an answer of if he would take her to Hiccup to apologize. She knew in the back of her head that she had time; Ryder would likely be out for several hours if not a day or two and had yet to be given answer to whether or not he could help make the dragons leave Berk so he wasn't about to take off anytime soon. Astrid knew all of this, but still wanted to be there and ask him to take her to Hiccup as soon as she possibly could, she couldn't forgive herself for what she did to him five years ago. She saw them start up the stairs that led to Gothi's house up on top of the mountain the Meade hall was built into and was about to follow when the rest of the tribe started entering the village still celebrating Ryder's victory, a pair of guards unceremoniously dragging the still unconscious Dagur by his ankles while his remaining men followed behind. She figured they must be dragging him to the ship the Berserkers were being sent home on and decided she could take a few minutes to reveal in the lunatic getting kicked off the island and went to find her friends.

*Stairway to Gothi's hut

Stoick and Gobber climbed the stairs in relative silence; the only real noise other than their footfalls was Gobber's occasional grumbling about Hiccup's smith work. Stoick gave a small smirk knowing his friend was just covering up that he was as anxious to learn where Hiccup was hiding as he was, if Ryder would agree to show or tell them where Hiccup was they could start down the long path to repairing their relationships with him, or in his case actually building one. He knew it would be difficult and possibly even impossible, but he could start by taking him back as his son, he'd even welcome a damned dragon into his home if that's what it would take. While Stoick still held a deep seeded hatred for dragons, after all one took his wife when their child was just a babe, if it would help him get his son back he could live with one. He was brought back to the moment when he reached the top of the stairs and sunlight hit his face, Gothi's house stood directly in front of him and she was the best healer on the island and the best chance Ryder had.

"Gothi, we have a young man in need of medical attention!" Stoick said loudly as he leaned to avoid hitting his head on her smaller doorway, Gobber forgot as usual and bumped his head into it. The elder silently beckoned Stoick to lay the young man on the bed in the back room and followed to look him over, the two large men backed away as she examined Ryder's wounds. She touched the one on his arm and a slight groan came for from the young man that sounded slightly too nasally for his voice, but considering the fight he just went through they didn't think anything of it and simply waited for Gothi to finish. Gothi then moved to his face and tried to lift his helmet; only succeeding in lifting it an inch, then turned around and started ushering them out, whacking Gobber on the back of the head for good measure. Once outside the house the elder woman began drawing on the ground, Gobber looked over her shoulder to see what she was saying while Stoick waited for him to translate. As Gothi finished what she was writing and shuffled by into her house as fast as her tiny legs could carry her Gobber got a good look at what she had said.

"She says the boy 'ill be fine, but needs 'is rest. And added since we're not family we can wait out 'ere." Gobber said, looking intently at the last symbol "Oh and he might have a cough when he wakes." He added. Stoick gave a sigh of relief and ran a hand over his face, the years he spent mourning his son had shown in the last five years, his beard and hair were now streaked to gray from worry and regret, and he had bags under his eyes from countless sleepless nights were he dreamed of his son running off with that dragon again and again. Gobber was the only one who he had told this too, and about the stains that were ever present on the table in his home. Age had been kinder to the old smith and he had thrown himself into his work after Hiccup left, not wanting to deal with the people who had thrown parties for the weeks after he escaped, Stoick was really the only person left Gobber cared about and was the only reason his didn't up and leave himself. He'd hardened against the rest, when he'd snapped at Astrid on the anniversary of Hiccup's departure, it hadn't been the first time someone ended up on the receiving end of his guilt, Mildew had once come through shouting at the top of his decrepit old lungs at how they were all better off and he hoped the dragon had eaten Hiccup, he promptly shut his mouth when Gobber started dangling him over the nearby cliff.

After about an hour the smith convinced Stoick to return to the village and that he'd send word when the boy woke up. As the chief begrudgingly left to see do his duties, Gobber looked back at the drawing Gothi had made after ushering them back out to double check and be sure he hadn't misinterpreted what it said, as he was reading it a stick came down hard on the back of his head. "Ow! Gothi, would ye stop doing tha'?" The village elder just gave him a glare and shook her fist at him before hobbling back inside with him in tow; they entered and looked to the boy lying on the bed. Gothi had removed the armor and any clothing from his upper body, showing several scars, past stab wounds, a spot on his right shoulder where he had clearly been shot with an arrow. Gobber looked at them with wide eyes as some he couldn't even tell how they had been made, the were several cuts along his rib cage, possibly from a sword being dragged across his skin, but the one that really caught his attention was the largest of them. Starting just below his left shoulder and moving down diagonally to a few inches above his right hip, it was too large to be any sort of sword of any weapon Gobber had seen a wound for and he had seen a lot of wounds from both weapons and dragons, this had him stumped. While the scars had been a source of fascination for Gobber the thing that made him gasp was what the young man had be hiding, Gothi had also managed to remove his helmet. Gobber felt the air leave him and couldn't seem to find a new breath, he hadn't misread the drawing at all.

Lying on the bed… was Hiccup.

*3 hours later

Hiccup woke with a start and was forced to take several quick breaths to clear his head and calm him self, the sun was pouring into the room he was in and his arm and torso were bandaged with some sort of green paste under them. He took a deep breathe as the memories came back to him, the duel with Dagur, the wounds he had sustained and passing out in the arena. A wave of horror swept through his body as he brought his right hand to his face and found his helmet removed, he started to look around frantically to find it when it popped up into his vision. Hiccup followed the arm holding it and found Gothi, the village elder and healer, holding it out to him with a soft smile. He slowly took it from her and she ran two fingers pressed together across her lips telling him she wasn't going to out him, he mouthed his thanks as his mouth burned too much to talk, a side effect to breathing in too much Zippleback gas and started to get up. His joints were stiff and the more recent wounds stung but he managed to stand waving Gothi off showing he was ok, she pointed to a corner where his clothes and armor were folded and stacked on a chair usually provided for a family member to sit in, he made his way over and began to dress himself.

Once he was back in his armor he gave Gothi a small hug for her silence and donned the helmet once again, slipping back into his 'Ryder' guise and walked out of the patient room, and right into Gobber's back. "Ah ye finally awake lad?" He asked as Hiccup took a step back to avoid being knocked around and looked at the smith quizzically, Gobber was always a friendly man but he was talking to him like he used to before the whole Toothless thing. Hiccup gave a small nod and saw Gobber look to Gothi who wrapped a hand around her throat before pointing at him, "Ah ye got a sore throat, well I can't say I'm surprised afta' all that gas you most likely took in during yer fight. But it works fer me 'cause ye and I got things to discuss." The man said, Hiccup didn't see Gothi standing being him holding her head in her hand in exasperation. Hiccup gave his best laugh before holding up his hands and trying to walk out but quickly found himself being lift off the ground by the smith's hook like her had several times in the past, only now his feet were mere inches off the ground instead of a few feet.

Gobber plopped him in a chair and thrust a mug of water in his hands, "Drink up, it'll help ye' throat." Hiccup knew this, he'd spent months making Inferno and half of that time was spent trying to get the gas required, and the Zipplebacks he worked with tended to be rather playful with their gas. "Take yer, damned helmet off and drink the water 'Iccup." His head snapped up and saw a smug look on Gobber's face; it wasn't one of those 'caught you' looks, no Gobber KNEW he was under that mask and he was more than happy to show it. With a sigh Hiccup unfastened the strap and removed his helmet before downing the water in front of him, the liquid washed any burning in his throat down and Hiccup could talk again.

"Hi Gobber." He said, he had prepared for shouting, guards to coming in and bound his arms together or his father to coming in screaming about him being a traitor like he had the day they had found Toothless. Hiccup was ready for anything like that, he had trained and was fairly certain if it came to it he could evade them and make it back to Toothless before they caught him. What Hiccup hadn't excepted was the hug Gobber picked him up for, here he was, an outcast and traitor to the Viking way of life who befriended a dragon yet here his mentor was hugging him with tears rolling down his face as he did. "Ah 'Iccup you don't know how 'appy I am to see ye'!" the smith said as he tightened the hug and Hiccup found it harder to breathe. He patted the large man's side as he still couldn't reach around him, though it was unexpected Hiccup was truly happy to be seeing Gobber as himself again and not as Ryder, it was comforting to know not everyone on this island wanted him hanged for his crimes.

"I'm happy to see you too Gobber, honestly I thought you might be as angry as everyone else to see me." The younger man gave the first genuine smile to someone with his mask in what felt like ages, outside of Toothless of course, he could never not smile with Toothless around. The moment of passed however when Hiccup realized that if Gobber knew he was the man under his helmet, who else could know? Stoick? Astrid? The teens? He started to panic as his breathing sped up and escape plans started formulating in case he needed to act fast. Gobber must have seen this since he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Relax lad, Gothi and I are the only ones who know who ye' are. I told Stoick you might have a cough when I saw she had uncovered yer' true identity. She gave meh a good whack fer 'et too, so ye' owe meh twice over." He said with last part with a laugh as Hiccup calmed himself again, his breathing returning to normal. "I'm guessin' ye' were just taking precautions wid coming back 'ere after five years, after all…" He looked down and a somber look came over his face "we didn't exactly part on the best on terms." The pain in his voice was palpable, Hiccup saw another tear drop from his face and knew, just like with Astrid, that Gobber was sincere in his regret over the past.

"Gobber, you were one of the few people I don't hate for what happened back then." Hiccup began as he stood up, he didn't want to intrude in Gothi's home anymore than he already had and needed to get back to the cove to reassure a most likely worried Toothless he was ok. "In fact you're a part of the reason me and Toothless helped out when the Berserkers attacked, while I may not be fond of everyone here, the majority actually, you alone are a good enough reason for me to want this place to keep standing." Hiccup was lifted into another hug and this time returned it, maybe he wouldn't have to run off again after all. Within a few minutes the two left Gothi's home, Hiccup's helmet securely back on his head in case Stoick tried to come back, and began the hike down the stairs to the village. On the way down Gobber demanded to know everything, the scars, Toothless, everything that had happened since Hiccup had left, the younger man was reluctant at first but Gobber made it clear that either Hiccup could talk to him, or he could talk to Stoick. With that Hiccup knew Gobber would follow through with that threat and agreed to tell him everything back at his camp in the cove, he didn't want Toothless to start snooping into the village and risk getting hurt.

When the pair made it to the bottom of the long stairway Gobber told a child running by to inform Stoick that 'Ryder' had awoken and returned to his camp, after that they walked into the forest towards the cove. They were about half way there when Hiccup stopped, Gobber gave him a questioning look, "We're being followed." Hiccup said quietly while removing his knife from it's sheathe on his arm before motioning Gobber to wait there and vanished behind a tree. A few moments later Gobber saw Astrid tracking them, he was about to call out as she stood up but was left at a loss for words when the knife Hiccup had flew from a tree and pinned he to the one behind her by her fur hood. Astrid seemed just as shocked at Gobber was, this changed to anger when she spotted the smith and then to surprise when Hiccup jumped from the tree he was in, landing in front of her with his mask down so she couldn't see his face. "I thought I made it clear to you and your little band of misfits last night I don't like being followed?" He said in his fake voice that Gobber found sounded off now that he knew who it was really coming from, and to Astrid of all people. Gobber remembered when Hiccup couldn't be within ten feet of her without stumbling over his words, and now he was practically threatening her with a steady voice, this made Gobber recall that first day he had returned when he had told the blonde that he wasn't interested in a date with her. First everyone was surprised because Astrid was arguably one of the best looking women in the village, for her age that is, so no one turned her down. Second, now that Gobber knew it was really Hiccup the whole time it made it even more shocking, for as long as he could remember the boy had been head over heels for the Hofferson girl and now he was the first young man to say no to her, but Astrid had been the one to tell Stoick about Hiccup and his dragon and seeing how Hiccup had stood up to his father and even tackled Snotlout for it Gobber guessed Astrid would be on a list of people he had a right be less than civil with.

"I just wanted to talk to you about…" Astrid started but remembered Gobber was not to far away and she didn't want him knowing about what had happened before the duel, "about what you said earlier." Ryder looked at the smith and then back to her, before pulling the dagger out of the tree and her hood. "Go home; I have no intention of leaving until my business is done. If I decide to do what you asked me earlier then I will find you, until then stop trying to follow me to my camp. Or do you need a reminder of last night?" He asked in a tone that hinted he was perfectly willing to knock her if she didn't heed him. She nodded and began to trudge back towards the village, well aware that he was watching her as she left, another blush found its way to her cheeks and she was begin to silently curse herself for getting so flustered by him. How could she have a crush on a man whose face she had never seen? For all she knew his face could be torn to Hel behind that mask and he kept it hidden from the world, the way he acted infuriated her but not nearly as much as how much she noticed him. It was like the gods knew something she didn't and were laughing at her, she let these thoughts mix with memories of the duel and thoughts of finding Hiccup. She was beginning to think she was a bit too obsessed with finding him just to apologize, but why else would she be so determined to find him? The feeling of the gods laughing at her expense came back as she reached the village.

*Hiccup and Toothless's Cove

"So… wha' was tha' all about back ther'?" Gobber asked Hiccup as they approached the entrance to the cove, Hiccup figured it would come up eventually, once Gobber recovered from the shock for his actions. "Astrid wants Ryder to take her to me; she claims she wants to apologize for running of to turn me in that day when she found Toothless in this very cove." Gobber was surprised by this, Astrid didn't apologize to people, but then again she never lost a sparring match before Hiccup's secret return either. He was about to ask if Hiccup was going to tell her when the young man in question was tackled by a large black mass, at first Gobber was about to attack, but stopped when he heard laughter coming from his former protégé. Sure enough a Night Fury has Hiccup pinned to the ground and was licking his face like a puppy. This was made more apparent when Hiccup scratched the dragon under its chin and it rolled over on its back giving a happy purr and showing its gummy mouth. 'huh, so tha's why he calls it Toothless' Gobber thought to himself with a smile, glad that the boy who was like a son to him had a friend regardless of species while he was gone. He'd wait until the two had their moment after Hiccup's fight with Dagur and then he'd get the entire story of the journey the pair had been on.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As soon as Toothless' initial excitement at seeing his rider was ok wore off he caught another sent, it was familiar but only vaguely. The dragon tilted his head to find a large man with a wooden leg and hook in place of two if his limbs, similar to Hiccup but different. Following his instincts the Night Fury bared his teeth at him with a menacing growl, he was about to pounce on the intruder when Hiccup managed to jump in between them, Toothless was reminded to the last time this happened here five years ago. "Toothless, calm he's a friend." Yepp same reason, Toothless rolled his eyes but kept them trained on the man, if he ran the dragon would blast him. The man didn't run however, instead he just looked… impressed. The man and Hiccup shared a few words and Toothless sniffed the newcomer's wooden leg, vaguely registering a comment from the large man about raising his back paws near it, before finally accepting that he was not going to bring harm to Hiccup. As the two humans walked over to Hiccup's tent and continued talking, he resigned to his spot, burning the ground to warm it up before lying down. He still kept a watchful eye on the pair however, Hiccup trusted people from this village before and it hadn't ended well and Toothless would ensure that it would never happen again.

The next few hours in the cove were spent all of Gobber's questions, from what happened on the day Hiccup left to his defeat of the Red Death, and the loss of his left leg, onto his encounters with the Outcasts and Berserkers to the torture he had endured at the hands of the Romans and the training he'd received from various places he'd been. Gobber rarely spoke as Hiccup told his tale, only leaving out certain things that Gobber didn't need to know just yet, Hiccup couldn't think of a time the forge master was quiet for so long. "You know Gobber; if it weren't for you breathing and the occasional blink I'd think you died being so quiet." The smith managed to get him in a headlock, drawing laughter from him and stopping Toothless from attacking at the sudden movement. "You'll have to forgive Toothless, Gobber; he's just used to looking out for me like I do for him. Five years and it's always just been us, and being back here has him on edge even more than me. You should have seen him the day I sparred with Astrid; he could smell her on my armor and whacked me upside the head. Oh and speaking of his tail come get a look at this." Hiccup said excitedly and Toothless walked over to them and showed off his artificial tailfin, Gobber looked over the detail of the harness and the frame for the fin, Hiccup explained how he used dragon skin for the fin itself after the leather one was burnt away when they fought the queen dragon. The red scales stood out against the rest of the black dragon but it strangely seemed to be fond of it, there were white scales in the fin used to make the same symbol of a Viking head with a dragon's jaw that was also on the right shoulder of Hiccups armor.

When they realized the sun had almost set Gobber stood to return to the village, Hiccup still needed to rest to recover from his injuries and jumping from a tree earlier hadn't helped with that. Hiccup saw him to the entrance of the cove, "Well "Iccup, I 'ave to say et you and yer dragon have done some amazing things, we should have listened to ye' and maybe we coulda helped with that queen dragon." Hiccup shrugged, he had made peace with his life and the loss of his leg long ago. "Well what can I say Gobber, that's what you get for keeping all this raw Vikingness contained for so long." He responded dryly, a moment passed and the two were laughing loudly at the comment remembering the night Hiccup had shot Toothless down. Gobber picked up Hiccup for another hug before he left, "I've missed you lad." Hiccup returned the hug before admitting he'd missed Gobber as well, "Now I'm off to the Meade hall to 'ave a drink to yer health, and you should be getting some rest and letting those wounds of yers heal." And with that he left.

Hiccup caught some fish and made himself a small dinner while Toothless ate his usual amount to fish, the moon was beginning to rise and the cool air was setting in so they got a fire going, they course meaning Hiccup gathered wood and Toothless set it ablaze. Hiccup changed out of his armor and into a simple green tunic and a brown fur vest like he wore when he was younger, in fact were it not for the fact that he was taller and slightly more muscular he'd look exactly the same, minus one leg. Sleep however evaded him this night and only one thing could help with that, he held his prosthetic up to catch Toothless' attention, and folded back the walking foot that turn pushed out the attachment that hooked into the stirrup for flying. Toothless bounded over with his tongue out ready for a evening flight, a couple seconds later they were in the air, and Hiccup felt the sun would be up before they landed again.

*The next morning, Meade Hall

Astrid was irritated; everyone around her could feel it and kept their distance. "Hey there babe, you look great this morning just like always." Well almost everyone. Snotlout had his usual flirtatious grin on his face and was oblivious to the scowl on her face, she didn't bother telling him to not call her babe and settled for kicking his leg and cracking his wrist. She gathered her food and let her thoughts flow freely, why did Ryder have Gobber with him last night and why couldn't she come too? How had he known she was following him, she had done the smart thing and was tailing him without the others and she was one of the best trackers on Berk. And why did she freaking blush when he caught her? These were questions she wanted answered, but for the first time since he arrived he wasn't in the Meade hall, Gobber had come back after the sun had set the night before and was drinking as much meade as he could saying his apprentice was truly the greatest and other things no one could understand due to his slurring. Astrid assumed he got the answers about Hiccup's work on Ryder's artificial leg and possibly his sword and didn't care if no one else wanted to hear about how proud he was of the boy who turned on his own people.

Stoick was the only one present at the time who wasn't annoyed by Gobber singing Hiccup's praises regardless of how drunkenly he did it, but he did search for Ryder throughout the hall. Astrid had still been fuming about being caught at the time and refused to look up from her plate to acknowledge Gobber's antics, she knew the camp was somewhere in the forest and she had a feeling that Ryder was going to put off talking to her as long as possible and maybe even avoid it all together if he knew Hiccup wouldn't want to see her. So she had made a decision, she was going to forego following Ryder to his camp and find it on her own, the only problem was she had no idea where to really start and the forest covered a large portion of the island. Then she remembered Gobber might have gone there last night with him and could possibly be 'persuaded' at axe point to tell her where he is holed up. Astrid stood and made her way out of the hall. Kicking Snotlout again for good measure after his earlier comment, cursing herself for submitting to the village's pressuring and going on a date with him, single worse night of her life.

As she made her way to the forge she stopped by her house and retrieved her trusty axe and was now standing outside the smithy, normally by this time Gobber was awake and working the forge while poorly singing some old Viking song she swore he was making up as he went, but today the forge was quiet as the grave and no smoke was billowing out. Astrid went for the door and found it was still partially open and Gobber was inside, lying on his work table snoring lightly, most likely due to the sheer amount of meade he had ingested the night before. The young shield maiden prodded the large man with the butt of her axe and sighed when he didn't move, back to square one. Leaving the forge she stalked off towards the forest edge and with a deep breathe she went in, Astrid wasn't afraid to be in the forest on her own, but she was also not used to breaking rules, five years later and Hiccup still seems to get under her skin.

After nearly an hour of searching Astrid was getting frustrated again, she wasn't about to give up but she was definitely going to make Ryder sorry that he was being such a jerk about the whole Hiccup thing. Her attention was brought back when something flew overhead faster than she could blink, she looked around the sky but saw no trace of what it could have been, then a snap not to far away reached her ears. Astrid turned and saw a Deadly Nadder's tail behind a rock; she stood very still to see if it would attack, if it did she'd most likely die since Nadders are among the fastest and deadliest dragons on the island, she slowed her breathing and waited. Minutes passed before a roar was heard from a nearby cliff causing the Nadder to run off into the forest and away from Astrid, she looked to the cliff but could only see a silhouette of another dragon, it took off a moment later and flew too high for her to see what it was.

Hiccup swore as he and Toothless climbed higher into the sky, the pair had been flying all night and had landed on the mountain face to relax for a bit. It had been over a year since the last time they had pulled an all-nighter in the sky, but Hiccup needed to clear his head of everything that had happened. Gobber and Gothi finding out he and Ryder were one in the same had shaken him, but Gobber's joy to see him and promise of keeping it a secret for now did help calm him, and since Gobber is practically the only person who can read Gothi's chicken scratch he knew that she wasn't going to tell anyone else. Then Astrid had tried to follow him back to his camp, again! Hadn't he made it clear the first time when he nearly fractured Snotlout's head to make a point? So Hiccup foolishly climbed a tree and gave her a scare with his knife, how he managed to not lose it after the fight was still a blur to him but he was thankful at the time. Unfortunately jumping from that tree had reopened the stab is his stomach which he got an earful from Gobber about, but at least Astrid had gone away. Even though he knew she was genuine in her desire to make amends with him, the memory of what she did that fateful day still haunted him; he needed to be absolutely certain she wasn't going to turn him over to Stoick.

When they had landed to take a breather, it was less than a minute later when they heard a loud snap and saw a teen Nadder scratching at a large rock, in all likelihood trying to get to some type of prey hiding under it. This normally would've just been ignored by the two but Hiccup spotted Astrid on the other side of it around seven feet away with her axe clutched in her hands, Toothless spotted her too and huffed his indifference. Hiccup knew with as smart as the Night Fury was he had held his own grudge against Astrid but after giving him a stern glare the dragon rolled it's eyes and roared to scare off the young Nadder, Hiccup then climbed back on Toothless and laid as low to the dragons back as he could in case Astrid looked their way. He barely got down in time as she spotted where they were on the cliff and stared, Hiccup clicked his prosthetic into place as stealthily as he could and opened the fin urging the black reptile to take off and now they were among the clouds again. Knowing his best friend was exhausted from a night of high speed flying and tricks Hiccup steered him to a cave just around the mountain, they could rest there for a bit before returning to the cove. He slumped to the ground and leaned against his best friend, they were both asleep in minutes.

*2 hours later, Berk, Dragon arena

Astrid had searched for hours and was no closer to finding Ryder's camp than she had been trying to follow him, she's returned to the village after the close call with the wild Nadder and wanted to be alone. She found herself outside the dragon arena in the spot where she had last seen Hiccup, sitting on the back of a dragon claiming they weren't their enemies before leaving, of the last five years of her life the final few times she had seen or interacted with Hiccup were the most vivid memories she had, even more then the handful of dragons she'd killed in raids in the couple years they lasted after he'd left. 'Until he supposedly put an end to them.' She thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around herself and felt another wave of guilt wash over her, what if's started playing in her head, what if she had listened, what if there could be peace with dragons, what if she hadn't been so damned jealous? She turned to leave when a glimmer caught her eye.

It had come from inside the ring; Astrid opened the main gate and walked in seeing the aftermath of the duel. There were blood stains on the hard stone ground, undistinguishable from each other now that they had dried, a large black ring from where Ryder had released and lit the second cloud of gas just before ending the fight, and lying near the center in between a large bloodstain and a trail leading from a few feet away was Ryder's fire sword. She picked it up and looked at it, remembering how Dagur had been unable to bring the blade out which had cost him the fight and saw there was a small latch near the end where the blade came out. Sure enough the moment she touched it the blade sprang out and was ablaze, she marveled at the ingenuity it must have taken to not only craft the weapon but to gather the required dragon components to give the dragon-esqe aspects of it. That's when she recalled that morning in the Meade hall before Ryder had snapped at Stoick and then everyone in the hall about how Hiccup had been treated and what he'd accomplished on the back of a dragon, the list was impressive and the forging of this sword was on it.

A fresh wave of guilt hit her, that list could've been so much longer and gotten the recognition it deserved if she had his sense of right and wrong, she was so buried in tradition and jealousy as well as the thought of dragons as merciless and mindless killing machines that the fact Hiccup had one as a pet never clicked. Her resolve to find him doubled, and she no longer just wanted to apologize, she wanted to listen. She'd ask him to teach her how to tame and ride a dragon like he had; she would learn everything and she would prove she was wrong in her actions when she told Stoick about the Night Fury. That afternoon played in her head again, but this time the events before she had run back to the village, following him to that cove, demanding to know how he'd gotten so good and the little beating she gave him before spotting the dragon.

The cove, she hadn't been there since she'd watched Hiccup and his dragon being bound and dragged back to the village and she suddenly found herself wanting to visit the last place where she had been before becoming a backstabber to Hiccup. Breaking Stoick's rule of going into the forest alone twice in one day was as crazy as it sounded, but Astrid needed to go there, she needed this and she didn't entirely understand why but she knew it had to be done. She was careful to sneak past everyone to get to the forest, almost getting spotted by Ruffnut on the way but she managed to avoid detection. Once she was in the forest she found the path Hiccup had taken there the day she followed him, making her way to the secluded spot. She arrived expecting to find it the same as five years ago when she'd found him there that day, it was around the same time of day with an orange hue in the sky, she thought she'd sit on that same rock she set herself on to scare him and think about what she could do to convince Ryder to take her to him but that's not what happened. Upon entering the cove she found a tent sitting by the small lake, her mouth opened and closed silently when she realize she had finally stumbled across Ryder's campsite, tightening the grip on the sword still in her hand she moved forward to investigate, since Ryder hadn't been back to the village today he was most likely recovering from his injuries.

She noticed a small place where a fire had been the previous night with a stick to serve as a spite for fish a few feet from the tent, it was still smoldering indicating it was left unattended at some point during the night. Another glimmer caught her eye and she saw an ornate shield resting against one of the poles folding the center of the tent up, it was silver with a dragon painted on it; the dragon was black except for one of its tail fins which was red for some reason. Astrid wondered why Ryder hadn't used it in his duel with Dagur, having a shield could have possibly saved him from one or both of the stabs he had sustained during the fight. This thought was pushed aside as Astrid peered within the tent itself, there was a small bed roll and Ryder's armor stacked neatly to the side she crawled in as her curiosity got the of her, missing a shadow starting to descend towards the cove. She found his helmet sitting beside the stacked armor and held it in her hands wondering what he looked like with it off, the face this helmet had been hiding was probably around somewhere uncovered and a shutter ran through her as her thoughts from last night of it being scarred returned.

A loud thump outside the tent brought her out of her thoughts, thinking he was back, a low yet loud growling noise told her otherwise. She took her axe off her spiked skirt and readied it while also figuring out a way to hold Ryder's sword so she could release the blade, once she had it figured out she readied herself, she had fought and killed a few dragons and this one she had the drop on. She rolled out and popped into a fighting stance prepared to jump at the beast and attack, however what she saw made her drop the sword in her left hand. The dragon was pitch black and was currently having it's back scratched by a tall, thin man with auburn hair in a green tunic and brown vest. When the sword hilt landed softly on the ground the dragons ear's perked up, then it's eyes shot open and narrowed to slits.

It saw her immediately and let out a menacing growl, the man standing with his back to her turned to see what it was growling at and a gasp escaped Astrid's lips when she saw his face. His face wasn't scarred or really torn in any way, it was in fact quite handsome, the freckles under his eyes were faded to the point of blending in and the small barely visible scar on his cheek all told her how was standing in front of her with a growling dragon by his side. They stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity, the only sound coming from the Night Fury beside him. After who knows how long he finally spoke, more to himself but loud enough for her to hear

"Oh, crap baskets."

**A/n: I know I said I wouldn't do another one of these but I wanted to present a little scavenger hunt for all you folks reading this, the 129 of you following at the time of this chapter's uploading. There is a single Easter egg in this chapter, and the first person to spot it will be allowed to name a character appearing later on in story. It won't be a main character, more of a bad guy for a few chapters or person from Hiccup's past. Happy hunting readers.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The pair just stared at each other, Hiccup had only managed to say one thing since finding her there, axe at the ready and Inferno lying beside her feet. Emotions mixed in both young people as neither knew how to react, anger was present for both yet shock is what still held them frozen in place, only Toothless able to make a sound as he continued growling at Astrid. Hiccup received a nudge from Toothless' tail and snapped out of his stupor, "What are you doing here Astrid?" He asked coldly, knowing exactly how she was about to react.

The shock on her face her face was replaced with pure rage as she went off, "What am I doing here? What am I doing here!? I live on this island and if I choose to go for a walk in this cove then I damn well will! What are you doing here huh? Last I check you were-" Hiccup stopped trying to hold himself back and cut her off. "A TRAITOR!?" Astrid reeled back at his out burst, "I told you that night five years ago when YOU turned me in that I didn't care about that! That I'd rather die doing what's right and you can be damned sure that hasn't changed! I've done things out there you couldn't even begin to dream of with how closed minded the people here are, you most of all! I've fought more battles than I can count; I've made friends all around the known world and made enemies along the way! I've killed plenty of men and a dragon so big it could destroy all of Berk just by sitting down! I've gone through torture and nearly been killed a thousand times over and the only one there for me was this dragon right here! The same beast you all think has no mind, soul or conscience cared for me when I was hurt or sick, he's done more for he in the past five years then all of Berk did in the first fourteen years of my life! If anyone's the soulless killing machines it's you damned Vikings!"

Astrid was stunned, battles, torture, and the only one looking out for him was currently hunched beside him with its tail wrapped around him protectively. However the way he said the word Vikings, like it was poison on his tongue infuriated her more and with a might roar she dropped her axe and jumped at him. The Night Fury moved so fast that she was pinned on the ground before she could even blink, now it was hovering merely inches from her face with narrowed eyes practically dripping with hate, Hiccup hadn't moved when she jumped, didn't even flinch. She realized he knew his dragon would stop her and judging by the look on his face he was seriously considering letting the dragon do whatever it wanted to her, she struggled to no avail, she could swear the sound reverberating from the dragon was laughter. "Struggle all you want, he'll just sit on you laughing until you either call it quits or pass out from exhaustion." Hiccup confirmed for her, his voice still in the same cold tone when he'd asked her why she was there. She looked at him and saw not the boy he was five years ago, but the man he'd grown into, he still had the same looks but right now his eyes were clouded with anger. Anger that she deserved, she'd been looking for him to make amends and here he was and she tried to attack him for being justly mad at her; she was beginning to wonder if she was even worth the forgiveness she sought.

Once Astrid stopped trying to escape Toothless and calmed down Hiccup jerked his head and the dragon let her up, growling at her with his teeth bared for good measure. "If you try to run back to the village I'll just let Toothless use a plasma blast on you." He warned as he held a hand out to her, eyes softening as he did. She took his hand slowly, uncertain if he was going to do something hanky, but he just waited and pulled her up once she finally gripped his hand. Toothless had now moved over to the opposite side of the tent but he never took his eyes off her, she could feel his distrust of her, could dragons really hold a grudge? "Don't mind him too much; he's a bit sensitive about the last time you two met." Hiccup said looking over his shoulder to his best friend, his voice back to its usual cheerful tone. A pebble hit the back of his head and he saw the dragon turning its back to him quickly. "Toothless, you're pouting big baby boo?" Astrid watched dumbfounded as the dragon gave three grunts as if to say he wasn't pouting and Hiccup playful wrestled with him before the dragon stood on it's hind legs and walked over towards the water with a look of that seemed almost like fake annoyance before dangling Hiccup over the lake.

It was clear they'd done this before; eventually the Night Fury threw itself backwards catching Hiccup and flipping over to playfully tap him on the head before dropping his large head on the young man's torso. Astrid just couldn't comprehend how the thing she'd been told would always go for the kill was acting exactly the opposite with Hiccup, it boggled the mind but one thing was clear: Hiccup was right about dragons. He'd spent five years with only a dragon for company and other than some serious anger issues towards the village he grew up in he had turned out just fine, whereas she had stayed put in a village that celebrated when a boy left just because he was always trying to help and she could see how he clearly had the better lease in life because of the dragon affectionately nuzzling it's head against his. Astrid pulled herself up and noticed that Toothless had left a scratch on her arm when he had her pinned, she figured she should head back and let Hiccup just be with his dragon, it was clearly what he wanted. She was almost to the entrance when a rope started winding around her, causing her to fall on the ground, She looked back and saw Hiccup holding the shield she had seen before only the center as open and a rope had produced from it, one that currently had her bound.

"Hiccup? What the Hel? Let me outta this!" She said trying to get out of the rope only to find it tightly in place. Hiccup simply shook his head and began pulling her back towards the campsite, she didn't make it easy on him, struggling the whole way to get free knowing it was a lost cause but determined to make him work for it. "Sorry Astrid, as much as I want you to leave I can't let you." His words stung a bit, he wanted her gone, "I can't take the same risk you'll run off to Stoick and bring the villagers down on our heads again, because this time they'll either kill Toothless… or more likely he'll kill them." Her eyes widened, did he have that much confidence in his dragon or did he just want to avoid death on either side? She didn't get to think about it long as he continued. "Until either I'm done here or know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can trust you not to say anything, you'll be staying with us." Her eyes shot up to meet his hoping he was joking, stay with him and the dragon? He couldn't be serious, her parents would eventually wonder where she was, and apparently he had thought of that already, "If anyone asks, Ryder has agreed to train you in the evenings to help you become a better warrior. Anyone in their right mind who knows you would accept that and wouldn't dare try to stop you, including your parents." Astrid had to give him credit for thinking it through at least.

Hiccup didn't untie her after that, but he had offered to make her dinner. He was currently pulling a couple fish from a barrel on the far side of the tent that she'd missed and putting them on spites to cook over a renewed fire courtesy of Toothless, the dragon definitely didn't care for her, either staying beside Hiccup or in a blackened spot of the ground he would curl up on and watch her from. Hiccup either didn't notice or didn't care, he himself was civil, at least as civil as you can be while basically kidnapping someone, but given she had been thinking of telling Stoick about him being there Astrid really couldn't blame him. When the fish were done cooking over the fire he took them off their spites and onto a small plate before making his way over to her, he untied her binds and handed he the plate while taking a single fish for himself. Making his way towards the only way in or out he sat beside it and began to eat, Astrid tired to hide the hurt that ran across her face, he wasn't taking any chances she might run again. She was so distracted by this she didn't notice Toothless sneaking up and stealing her fish, once she realized what the dragon had done she was both surprised such a big animal could move so quietly and angry since her stomach was starting to growl. Toothless made that same sound akin to a laugh while giving what looked like a smug smirk at her, he stopped when Hiccup placed his fish that only had a few bites taken out of it on Astrid's plate, he didn't wait for her to say anything merely walked over to his scaly friend and held out his hand. Astrid had to fight the urge to puke when the Night Fury regurgitated half a fish into his waiting hand.

After washing off and re-cooking the half fish Toothless had given him as an apology, Hiccup watch Astrid from a distance while she ate. He was mentally kicking himself for not at least taking his helmet with him on the flight the evening before, but he had been wearing it all day and after his battle with Dagur he needed the fresh air blowing across his face. Beside there was nothing he could do now, what if's don't change things and he didn't want to have the dreams he once did about Berk making peace with dragons and him possibly impressing the blonde now sitting by his fire in a glare off with his dragon. Hiccup had been down that road, luckily he'd met a lot of people who helped him move on in life, but his feelings for Astrid were the one thing he never truly got over, just buried under anger and feelings of betrayal. It's not like there weren't other girls, there were, but none of them held a candle to her and he turned them all away, only one came close and he considered settling down for a time and trying to have a relationship with her but word of Stoick looking for information about him came and he was in the wind again. That was nearly four years ago before the Red Death and looking back he knew things had to be the way they were, the only close relationship Hiccup seemed destined to have was his friendship with Toothless, everyone else was strictly business.

When they'd both finished eating Hiccup bound Astrid's hand and legs, she didn't fight this time, but she was clearly unhappy with it. He figured the look Toothless was giving her, daring her make a break for it, played a part in her being so cooperative. "So where am I supposed to sleep?" Astrid asked in an annoyed tone of voice, nodding to the single bed roll in Hiccup's tent, having never really needing a spare since he only ever had Toothless and he made his only bed's Hiccup hadn't really thought of that, with a heavy sight he led her to his bed roll and motioned for her to lie down. "You'll take the bed roll; I can rough it with Toothless." Astrid was not expecting him to be that much of a gentleman towards her after everything that had happened in the last couple of hours, their chance meeting, the argument, him holding her hostage, and his dragon and her trying to glare a hole into each other's head. She was about to refuse and walk out but he acted quickly, grabbing the binds around her hands to pushing while simultaneously sweeping her legs out from beneath her. He lowered her gently onto the roll and retrieved a blanket, laying it over her before making his way back outside the tent. While she was still plenty mad at him for holding her here against her will, Astrid couldn't help but think it was sweet of him to give up his own bed for her, and she hated that she found it sweet, she was Astrid Hofferson, sweet and her don't mix. Then it hit her, Ryder had been Hiccup all along, the sparring match, the moment in the forge before the duel, and the duel itself. What had happened in the arena the day before was already an impressive feat of both fighting ability and endurance with excruciating pain, but realizing that it was HICCUP performing those feats was stammering. When he'd left he was know as useless, the worst Viking in the seven generations of Berk, and now he could probably hold his own against almost anyone on the island, after all he did recently beat the undefeatable Dagur the Deranged.

"Hey bud, you think you can make me a spare bed?" She heard him say outside the tent, there was a yelp and an explosion coupled with a bright blue flash, she sat up quickly and was about to try and make her way out when she heard Hiccup chuckling. "Thanks bud, but next time don't aim so close to the tent where we keep the food." There was a grunt from the dragon and then a clicking sound as Hiccup removed his prosthetic leg. Astrid lay back down and wondered just how often the two outside had moments like that, she'd witnessed two, possibly three if she counted what was happening when she discovered them and it had only been a few hours. The trust between them was obvious, he had shown he would risk everything for that dragon five years ago when he stood up to his father and rammed Snotlout to free it, and that surly only grew with time, when he'd been yelling at her earlier the Night Fury kept it's tail wrapped around him in a protective fashion and stopped her when she dove in the blink of an eye, the dragons Berk had told her about all her life wouldn't do that. These thoughts lingered in her head as she drifted into an uneasy sleep, the last one being what it would be like the fly on a dragon with the man just outside and another small blush found her cheeks.

*The next morning

Hiccup woke early as usual, he was planning to get back to why he was here today, leading the dragons away from Berk. The events from the evening came back as he remembered why he was in a hole that Toothless had made with a plasma blast for him as he reattached his metal leg. He looked inside his tent and saw Astrid still sound asleep, he looked her over in detail for the first time since he'd come back, age had been extremely kind to her the last five years. Even though she hadn't grown as much as he had, him being a head taller than her, she had filled out nicely, he dare say perfectly; she wore her hair the same for the most part only she no longer kept her left eye covered, instead she kept it tucked behind her ear. He realized he was being to stare and make old feeling stir again so he shook his clear to clear his thoughts and gathered his armor, he'd have to some patch work on it before going into the village to talk to Stoick, hopefully Gobber would be willing to lend a hand to convince the chief to allow him to help and be on his way, and vanish once again, maybe even settle down somewhere secluded for himself and Toothless. Hiccup pulled out a small sewing kit from said dragon's saddle bag and sat on a nearby rock to begin fixing up the arm.

Astrid awoke with a stir, she went to brush a few strands of hair out of her eye and found her hands bound together. A wave of panic ran through her before she remembered where she was and how she'd come to be there. Hiccup wasn't just alive, he was there, just outside the tent he'd let her sleep in with the same dragon she found him with years ago. Questions ran through her head as she replayed the events in her head, recalling things he'd said in his outrage, battles, having to kill men, being tortured, all things he'd mentioned going through. She wanted to know about all of it, and hated that she was the cause of him not having another person to look out for him, considering he didn't even trust her to leave his camp with out him for fear of her telling Stoick she knew she'd have to work to prove she wanted to make it up to him. She heard the sounds of clipping and noticed that his armor and helmet were no longer where they had been stacked; she surmised that he had collected them and was currently fitting it on himself. Astrid was about to call out to him to see if she could at least stretch when he spoke,

"Hey bud, about time you woke up," a loud roar/yawn from the dragon he was talking to, "You ready for a morning flight?" there was a moment of silence and then a low growl, "Oh come one Toothless, I was just in there and checked, she's still sound asleep. Come on we'll take a quick lap around the island, scare some yaks, startle a few Berkians and be back before she wakes." Another grunt came from the reptile and Astrid was even getting annoyed with him, she had her arms and legs bound, where was she going to go? "Alright then if you really don't her I guess she'll just have to come on the flight with us." Hiccup's voice had a playful yet threatening tone in it as a roar what sounded something like protest was heard. Another moment of silence came over the campsite before Hiccup spoke again, "You're willing to skip our morning flight just because she's here? Her legs are tied together bud, and I have her axe hidden, how is she going to get out?" No response came from the dragon. Hiccup sigh was heard before coming into the tent; he cut the bindings on her leg and pulled her up.

"We're going back to the village today so I can do what I came here for; you'll be staying by my side until that's done and not telling a soul who I really am is that clear?" He asked, she silently nodded when another voice came from the entrance. "And how exactly did she learn who ye' are 'Iccup?" The pair looked over and found Gobber standing there with his arms crossed looking at them skeptically. Astrid's jaw dropped and Hiccup groaned, it was going to be a long day.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Astrid could not believe this, Gobber knew about Hiccup, Gobber! He was Stoick's best friend yet he hadn't told him that his son was on the island and had just prevented a war with the Berserkers for the people who hate him. The old smith had shown up at the cove to talk to Hiccup away from prying eyes and ears about his private celebration after Hiccup had stopped her following them after the duel, which Hiccup found both mortifying and hilarious at the same time. The trio was now walking towards the village; Hiccup had swapped Toothless' tail fin so he could at least get some flight time in while the young man kept an eye on Astrid. As they reached the edge of the forest Hiccup stopped her and cut the bindings off her hands and said to wait at the edge of the village, threatening to pin her by her hood again if she got any ideas. Gobber watched him treat the girl he'd once been so smitten with an air of distrust and wished he could see the same look he'd worn those days before he started dragon training, when just seeing her would reduce him to a babbling and give him weak knees. Now all he saw was a young man who was forced to grow up alone and had hardened in that time, probably unaware of the hate he harbored for this place.

"Don't cha' think yer' being a wee bit to hard on 'er?" He asked looking at Hiccup, the young man knew he was going to ask, it was the only reason why he'd sent Astrid to wait at the edge of the village. His protégé sighed, "I know I am Gobber, but I just can't risk her endangering Toothless again." The sound in his voice was determined, but Gobber spotted something in his eyes behind his helmet, a soft look that was reminiscent of the 15 year old he had been the last time Gobber saw him. "You still care about 'er, don't cha?" Hiccup nodded slightly, Gobber gave him a light hearted smile and placed his good hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Maybe you should think about forgivin' 'er and showing that side of yerself, I can tell ye' that she was affected by yer leavin' as mush as yer father and me." Hiccup didn't respond, he just looked at the girl leaning against an outlying farm building with her arms crossed and a frown plastered on her face as she waited on the two.

Hiccup had thought about just burying the hatchet and starting over with her, but every time he looked at her he was reminded of not only the feelings he was trying to deny but that she also probably didn't trust him either, and would tell someone the moment she managed to slip away. He wanted to believe she was willing to change, he didn't like having to force her to stay in the cove with him, he wished he didn't have to lie and say he didn't want her around because the more time he spent around her the more he did want her around. While Hiccup wouldn't trade Toothless for anyone or thing he did miss having a person he could have a real conversation with over the years, someone he could just talk to about his day and the things on his mind, someone who understood. A small part of him hoped that person could be Astrid, but the rest of him that taken the world for what it was kept that as just a dream. He took a deep breathe and started down the hill, Astrid falling in tow as he reached her, they walked in silence to the Meade hall, he didn't care that all eyes were on them as they entered together with Gobber hobbling in behind them but he was fairly certain Astrid was less than comfortable. Hiccup needed to talk with Stoick alone about helping with the dragons and it would draw the wrong kind of attention if she were to stand next to him the entire time, deciding it was time for a leap of faith he spoke softly so she could hear.

"If you can promise not to say anything about who I really am you can go sit with your friends." She silently joined the other teens, ignoring their questioning looks while watching Hiccup walk over to Stoick. The chief regarded the man standing before him with admiration, he had intended to have a celebration in his honor for his defeat of Dagur but he had returned to his camp by the time Gobber's message got to him and he hadn't been back to the village the entire day after, most likely recuperating from his injuries he sustained during the fight. However Stoick found it just as odd as everyone else that Astrid had come in with Ryder and it showed, one of his eyebrows was raised in a quizzical manner and like many others he looked back and forth at the two, finally stopping on the mysterious visitor in front of him. "Astrid has asked that I train her in some of the fighting styles I've learned in my travels." Ryder said, this was good enough for most people but Stoick's eyes narrowed and he looked over to Astrid's parents who also looked troubled by the thought of their daughter being gone all night to train with a stranger.

Astrid watched her parents stand and walk over to Stoick's table and talk with Hiccup, the rest of the people had gone back to what they were doing so she couldn't hear what was being said, but she could see that the three adults were not overly pleased with the idea. "So, you're training with Ryder huh? He teach you anything good?" Ruffnut asked, lifting her eyebrows suggestively at the last part with a mischievous smile. Astrid just shook her head and tapped it; she didn't want to risk saying anything that might lead to discovering it was Hiccup standing with her parents and his father, so she merely hoped that the female twin would take it as he had his helmet on. "I don't think you should be hanging around him babe, he's trouble. Have you forgotten what he did to us the other night? Besides once my dad offers your parents a marriage contract and we're engaged you wouldn't want rumors to start would you?" Usually Snotlout's attempts to court her only worthy of physical abuse, but bringing up a marriage contract between them? Astrid would sooner give up her honor as a shield maiden.

Astrid quickly stood up and grabbed the Snot's arm and twisted it behind him before slamming his face on the table, "Stop calling me babe, and I wouldn't marry you if your father offered my parents the whole archipelagos!" she shouted louder than she meant to, several gasps including one from her mother were heard, refusing to comply with a marriage contract was a serious offense on Berk, one would be branded an outcast and their family would be shamed, for Astrid to admit she'd refuse to marry Snotlout was a serious threat and wouldn't be taken lightly. However none of this occurred to her as her friends tried to pull her off with little success, suddenly Astrid's hands went stiff and she saw two hands were applying pressure to a spot just below her wrists, she looked back to see Hiccup in his helmet holding them. He silently led her towards the doors, kicking Snotlout in the back of his leg to insure he wouldn't follow, and out towards the forge, he released her when they got there and she suddenly had control of her hands back. "What the Hel was that? And why did you do it?" She asked incredulously, her face red with fury at Snotlout for putting the image of married life with him in her head and at Hiccup from stopping her from disemboweling the heir.

"I pinched the median nerve in your arms; it kept you from doing anything else stupid that could've gotten you outcast like me." He said dropping his fake voice since they were alone, "Believe me, I'd rather face life as an outcast than marry Snotlout, Hel I'd marry YOU before I'd consider marrying him!" She said the last part before she could stop herself, both teens eyes widened as she covered her mouth and looked away to hide her blush while he looked up and put a hand on the back of his head thankful the face mask was hiding his. "Look, outcast life isn't easy, even with Toothless there were days I wasn't sure we'd make it. You have a life here Astrid and you shouldn't want to lose that, it was easy for me since I had next to no one, but you have friends and parents who love you and don't deserve to have to deal with the fallout if you were to leave as an outcast." Astrid sighed, she hated that he was right and hated that him actually showing some concern for what would happen to her and her parents made her blush even more. "You'll have to show me how you did that nerve thing sometime; it'd be useful the next Snot tries to flirt with me." She was joking, but she also did want to know how he'd done it, stopped her without hurting her more than some pressure on her forearm. "Eventually, part of the agreement for you to stay at the camp involves you training warriors here in turn once I've felt you've progressed far enough. So go home and grab what you need for a long camping trip, I'd like to have my bed roll back tonight." He said in a kind almost joking voice. "Oh and you might also want to grab the largest fish you can find and give it to Toothless as a peace offering. It'll be hard to train you if I have to pull him off you every time you land a hit when you've learned something."

Astrid grumbled something like an affirmative statement and headed for the door, Hiccup told her to meet him at the edge of the forest once she had her things. She made her way to her house, ignoring her friends again as they watched her walk by, Snotlout managing to stay half hidden behind Fishlegs, and walked into her family's home. Her parents were likely still in the Meade hall, she doubted either of them was crazy about the agreement of her staying in an undisclosed location with someone they didn't know, well didn't think they knew, even if she was learning new fighting styles that could help Berk. That was likely Stoick's reasoning to allow it, that and give 'Ryder' a show of good faith in hopes he'd lead to Hiccup, but Astrid gathered that Hiccup had more reasons than his title of traitor for wearing that helmet and face guard. As she made her way into her room she thought about some of the things Hiccup had done since he'd been back fighting-wise, he was still skinny by comparison to other Vikings, but he was definitely grown stronger in his time way. Their sparring match was the first sign of this, given how long they sparred they should have both been exhausted even him from parrying most of her attacks, yet when it was over his breathing was barely labored at all. Then when the group tried to follow him the first time, Astrid may have gotten the drop on him, she made a mental note to apologize to him for that, but he managed to recover almost instantly and managed to evade them, capture Snotlout and then knock out all but her when Snotlout had gone and been an idiot. Finally there was his duel with Dagur, who had a reputation for never stopping a fight without someone dying, the things Hiccup had done during that fight were nothing short of incredible, then again so was training a dragon and look how he was treated for that. She mulled over these things as she startled to pack her gear for a few weeks since she didn't know how long she'd be staying with Hiccup.

Astrid had stormed past the group of teens in her usual manner when she was either pissed off or deep in thought, Fishlegs recognized the look well since Snotlout had a habit of pissing her off with his flirting, however today was an extreme case since Snot had brought up a marriage contract between them. Everyone on Berk knew Astrid would rather gouge her own eyes out than marry Snotlout, except for Snotlout that is. About two years ago Astrid caved into the pressure everyone was putting on her and agreed to go on a date with the future chief, it had ended with his arm being broken and Astrid threatening anyone who ever mentioned the idea of the two of them being a couple ever again with the loss of that person's head. Fishlegs could have sworn Berk was going to have to look for a new heir this morning when Astrid's outburst happened and she had Snot's arm pinned behind him ready to break it again, but Ryder had stopped her somehow, he and the twins had tried pulling her off Snotlout but the strange visitor either knew something they didn't or had an effect on Astrid none of them knew about. The teens had made some excuse about getting Snotlout's arm and leg checked out and then followed them, they had made it outside and spotted the pair just outside the forge, Ryder still holding Astrid's arms like he had been in the hall. They hid behind a house that was just within earshot when they heard the blonde Viking yelling about how she would rather live as an outcast then marry Snotlout, then say she'd rather marry RYDER than the heir who was not two feet from the large boy. Fishlegs poked his head out a bit and found the two not looking at each other, Astrid hiding a blush and Ryder rubbing the back of his head/helmet while inspecting the sky, there was definitely some form of tension between them and not all of it bad. Fishlegs thought back to the day of the duel, Astrid had hugged Ryder before he entered the arena and Astrid never hugged anyone except her parents. They lowered their voices for the next part; all Fishlegs could hear were bits and pieces about Astrid packing her things, training and something about a peace offering.

Curious Fishlegs spotted Ryder walking across the bridge that led to the dragon arena, looking back at the others he found the twins in one of their usual fights butting heads, the large young man quickly looked away as he was starting to stare at Ruffnut, and Snotlout was rubbing his arm still and not paying attention. Deciding it was best if he didn't have them tagging along he made his way down to the arena by himself, Astrid had disappeared into her house so they wouldn't be getting anything out of her until she came back out so that only left the stranger in their village to ask about his sudden change in attitude about having someone from the village near or in his camp site. Upon reaching the arena Fishlegs heard a the sound of one of the large doors holding the training dragons open, he paled and realized that Ryder had let one loose while the gate was still open and it could escape to attack the village. He rushed to were the ramp was so he could close the gate but stopped when he saw what was happening inside, Ryder was standing there, his back to Fishlegs and his helmet lifted back so his face was exposed with the Deadly Nadder standing right in front of him, and to the Viking's complete surprise was petting the dragon as if it was a harmless animal. The Nadder seemed happy with what the man was doing, even tilting it's head to give him better access to it's under beak and what sounding like cooing for him to continue. The tall man pet the dragon for several minutes before returning his helmet to place and leading it back to it's pin and scratching it's chin once more before closing the large doors.

"You can come out now Fishlegs." He called without turning around, said Viking almost fell over in shock, he'd been quiet and Ryder had never looked in his direction the entire time he'd been watching yet Ryder somehow knew he was there. With his head hung low he came out of the shadow cast by the ceiling of the ramp and waited for Ryder to strike him or yell, it seemed to be his usual reaction when he was followed. However the slim man mere walked to him and placed a kind hand on his shoulder, "You know, they really aren't that dangerous when you know how to approach them. You seem like the kind of person who could really connect with a dragon, I'm sorry you got stuck in the one village that is dead set again the peace that could have been." His voice was kind, even gentle and friendly; the sounds of his alternating footsteps were heard as he left Fishlegs standing there is awe of what he'd just seen. Was that what Hiccup had accomplished with a Night Fury? Could peace between Vikings and dragons really be possible if they had just been willing to listen? Fishlegs didn't know the answers to these questions, but as more popped up in his head along with the things Ryder had told them Hiccup had done on the back of a dragon he was becoming more and more determined to find out.

After Hiccup had left Fishlegs back in the arena he started for the forest to wait for Astrid to finished collecting her things, he'd have to make room for her in the tent and Toothless wasn't going to be happy about that, hopefully Astrid would follow his advice and try to make peace with the lizard, if she didn't Toothless would never give her the chance Hiccup was still confused that he himself was giving her. He really hated love sometimes. His thoughts went back to what happened with Fishlegs in the arena, he had meant what he said to only other Viking who didn't harass or treat him like an outcast when he was Hiccup the useless, he really thought Fishlegs could bond with a dragon much like he had with Toothless and even hoped he could have the chance one day, but for that he'd likely have to leave Berk. Hiccup was caught in these thoughts, and almost didn't notice that Astrid was already waiting for him at the top of the hill holding a large fish, he suppressed a laugh as she tried to keep it at arms length, he usually didn't get lost in thought since he left, but now that he was back on Berk he couldn't seem to stop. It was almost as if his mind was playing catch up, maybe it was all that was happening or maybe it was just being back on Berk, but either way he sort of enjoyed getting lost in his own head again. He just shook his head and took some of Astrid's gear before heading back towards the cove, maybe training her could help him deal with some of the anger that he kept bottled up inside.

*Middle of the ocean

Alvin was annoyed; he hated to be kept waiting. He was currently in the middle of the sea for a meeting and they were late, he was seriously considering tossing the men keeping him waiting to a Scaldron or Thunderdrum if one happened to pass by. His second in command Savage was standing just behind him to the left doing his usual brown nosing like the pathetic tick that he was, but he was a tick who Alvin could at least count on to be loyal. They were waiting for new leads on the dragon conqueror; he had been a thorn in Alvin's side for several year now and cost him several ships and many of his men's lives, but the man know for his treachery care little for this, he wanted to capture the man and force him to teach the outcasts how to conquer dragons themselves so they could wipe out their enemies, starting with the home of the man Alvin hated more than anything: Berk. His fists clenched as he thought of Stoick the Vast and how he had once been friends with the man, he would learn how to rule over dragons and then he'd destroy everything Stoick held dear.

The approaching of another ship snapped Alvin out of his angry plotting; the ship was old, battered from countless fights with both attacking Vikings and dragons. The ship came to a halt alongside their own and a few men hopped onto the deck of the Outcast boat, Dagur the Deranged among them, although clearly wounded. Alvin grit his teeth, he was not a fan of the young chief and only agreed to an alliance with the Berserkers to avoid being destroyed by their armada, but he wouldn't show this to the man child in front of him. "I don't like bein' kept waitin' boy. You'd better have something good for me otherwise you and your crew here will end up being lost at sea." Dagur showed no anger or annoyance, he was smiling ear to deranged ear. Alvin could tell just by looking at him that he had something, something that could possibly tip the balance in their mutual struggle with the dragon conqueror.

"Oh I have something alright," Dagur began with an evil smirk, "You won't believe who's really been under that helmet all this time."

*Rome, underground

A hooded figure sat at a table with a piece of parchment in his hand, he rubbed his other hand against the short graying beard while he pondered his next move. Behind him were several other hooded figures, his underlings, his legacy, his brotherhood. Among them was his second, she had brought the parchment to him and was currently kneeling waiting for his instruction on what to do with the new information. He stopped moving his hand and pointed with two fingers to the door, all but his second left. "This is troubling news." He said at last after the others had all left, the parchment was an open contract describing a young man with auburn hair saying he was wanted for questioning in relation to the death of a roman centurion and information on controlling dragons. His second did not respond she merely nodded in response; he didn't need her to respond he already knew what she was thinking. "Have the others scour the city and remove any more of these posters that may be up, we need to be on top of this before it draws anyone else's attention. Then I want you to track him down." He heard the movement as her face shot up to look at him; he still had his back to her but knew her eyes would be wide and the question that was sitting on the edge of her tongue. He knew she wouldn't ask unless he asked her to first, she was polite that way despite her upbringing in life; he decided to simply answer it for her. He stood and walked over to one of the torches on the wall, lighting the parchment and holding it up so it would burn faster. "You heard me girl… Go out and bring me Hiccup."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

*Two weeks later

Astrid was coming along in her training at a great pace, Hiccup was a surprisingly effective teacher and Toothless had finally stopped growling at her whenever she walked within three feet of him thanks to her offering him a fish everyday for a straight week (Hiccup's idea). Their time together had been fruitful, Hiccup was becoming more and more comfortable with her staying with them, he even let her sleep without binding her arms and legs together the night before, and he was even willing to tell her some of his adventures since he left. She was still in amazement of the battle with the Red Death, Hiccup revealed the loss of his leg was from Toothless saving his life, accidentally biting his shin to hard in an effort to catch him in time, yet Hiccup held no ill will toward the dragon as he had only done it to save his riders life. Astrid knew there were more stories, ones he wasn't ready to tell her, like where and who he received his training from, but she didn't want to press her luck, their relationship was on the mend and she was just starting to feel like she could call him friend. The two were currently out on a flight to gather more fish for their stock barrel they had, apparently they survived mostly on fish while traveling, Toothless was still weary of her joining them in flight, she had managed to sit behind Hiccup once on the Night Fury's saddle before he decided he didn't like it much and bucked the both of them off. While she knew the dragon was stubborn, she also knew that he was growing to not hate her so much; she leaned back on a rock after she finished the exercises Hiccup told her to work on while they were gone and thought back to the day he had told her to pack up.

*Two weeks earlier, Hofferson house

Astrid finished putting the last of her clothes in he bags and her bed roll was ready as well, as she was picking up her axe to secure it on her back so she could go the sound of the door opening and closing loudly was heard. No doubt her parents were home and less than pleases about the arrangement Stoick had made with Hiccup, while they both knew full well Astrid could handle herself she was still their only daughter and that caused her father to be a tad overprotective of her. As she made her way down she found her parents talking in hushed tones and by the way her father's hands were trembling the talk was not going his way, she cleared her throat to announce her presence and the two adults promptly stopped their argument and turned to face her. "Astrid, we were just talking about you," Her father started, "I was hoping I could talk you out of this whole training nonsense." The sight of her mother's chest falling told Astrid that they agreed on that but she wanted to phrase it in a nicer way than her husband's bluntness. She spent a moment looking between her parents, while she wasn't overly crazy about having to go stay with Hiccup in the cove with a dragon when both have a grudge against her, but Hiccup had promised he'd actually train her and not just hold her hostage there while he tried to do whatever it was he had planned for the wild dragons. "I'm sorry papa, but a chance to learn some of the fighting techniques H… Ryder used in his duel with Dagur is something I cannot pass up, but he refuses to teach anyone whose only going to come and go. He said I have to learn like he did and that involves staying in one place for several days at a time." She was impressed with how quickly she came up with a reason that could work for her staying with him for an extended period and relived she caught herself before using Hiccup's name.

Her father still wasn't convinced, "Couldn't he train one of the boys? Snotlout or Tuffnut maybe? And then they can teach it too you here in the village, where I can keep an eye on them." He asked, his response was Astrid's hands on her hips and an eyebrow cocked up in a way that asked him if he had really just asked that. He sighed, they all knew she was the best fighter in Berk and if anyone had a chance to learn a new way of defending Berk and then teaching others it was her. Her mother placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and nodded her head signaling for him to give them a moment, he reluctantly nodded and made his way into their room, Astrid regarded her mother carefully as she sat down by the hearth andgot a fire started. "You have to understand sweetheart, we aren't against you learning new ways to defend yourself, but staying with this man we know little more than his name about? It has us worried; we'd like to know where his campsite is so we can come check on you if we get worried." Astrid understood her parents point of view, she really did, but Hiccup made it perfectly clear, if she said anything that could jeopardize his identity, he'd be in the wind and she was not about to lose her chance to set things right, or get that training.

"I'm really sorry mama, but Ryder was very clear about that, if I tell anyone anything, where his campsite is or what he's teaching me before I'm ready to teach it myself, he won't teach me anything. He does feel bad that you can't know though, but he said I can't have any distractions, like he did when he learned." I'm sure I'll be allowed to return to the village every few days and I can visit with you and papa but if Berk wants to know how he fought like he did then we need to work with him and that means just me for now." Her mother also let out a sigh, Astrid did not like their insistence on this, and she didn't want to ruin Hiccup's life a second time, even if it isn't directly her fault. Her mother looked up again and she spoke softly, "It's just we don't want any rumors to get started about you and that man, especially if Spitelout Jorgenson comes by to offer a marriage contract for you and Snotlout." Astrid's blood boiled, it was bad enough when Snotlout had mentioned it, but now her mother? Had her proclamation this morning not made her position on that idea clear? "WHAT!?" she shouted causing her father to rush out of his room, "There is no way in Hel I'm marrying Snotlout, did you not hear me back in the hall? I was about to break his arm and anything else I could before someone managed to drag me off of him and the guy you're so worried about actually stopped me without knocking me out cold first!" Her face was red and her fists were clenched, how could they think that was a good idea?

"Astrid, I know you don't like the idea but he is still going to be chief one day, probably always was going to be, Stoicks's… son was never chief material really." Her father rationalized to her, "You marry Snotlout and you'll be set for life and never want for anything. You'll be the second most powerful person on all of Berk and raise future heirs in turn." The last part caused Astrid to start gagging, the idea of marrying Snotlout alone was sickening, but the thought of baring his children? That was a whole new level of sick. She didn't want to hear this; she quickly found her things and ran out the door towards the woods. She saw the source of her disgust walking around with Tuffnut and Ruffnut who were arguing about Gods know what and slammed her fist in his stomach without so much as a warning glare. Leaving behind the now puking heir and twins she found a barrel of fish and grabbed the biggest one she could see and made her way to a tree just at the edge of the forest and lean back against it to collect her thoughts and repel the tears of anger prickling at her eyes. She managed to compose herself just in time as Hiccup came around the final house and started up the hill, seemingly lost in thought himself. She noticed him give his head a quick shake before offering to take some of her gear and carry it for her, she gave a small smile and handed him one of her bags and walked beside him listening to what he had just gone through in the dragon training arena with Fishlegs.

*Present day, the cove

A thump brought Astrid back to reality, Hiccup and Toothless had returned. Judging by the two large baskets hanging onto the Night Fury's saddle she could tell they had a pretty good haul today, Hiccup's face was the most entertaining part however since it was soaked like the rest of him and a bit of seaweed was stuck in his hair. Astrid took a moment to really look him over while he was distracted with the sea plant and fish baskets, he hadn't been wearing his armor much since he started training her saying he needed to show her how fluid her movements would need to become, and as a result he'd made her remove her shoulder guards and spiked skirt. The simple tunic and leggings he wore now clung to his skin and she could see his was no longer that skinny kids everyone, including himself, referred to as a fishbone; he still wasn't what was considered Viking shape, but he filled out, she could see small defined muscles on his chest and arms as if they were craved out of strong wood, and his one and a half leg were clearly just as built from countless hours riding Toothless. She was so preoccupied with 'studying' how he changed she didn't notice that he was looking at her and his face was turning red, she was brought out of it when Toothless roared in her ear. She didn't say anything but gave the black dragon an evil eye.

"I'm gonna go wash up… feel free to make yourself something to eat, Toothless, be nice and start a fire if she asks." Hiccup said, the dragon huffed in response and watch him walk to a secluded part of the cove where he could bathe behind a rock. Toothless knew his rider was not found of showing others his scars, he was comfortable with Toothless because they were together when he received most of them, one in particular the dragon feared he wouldn't recover from, but he pulled through and hadn't left his friend alone in the world. Toothless couldn't remember much of his life before Hiccup came into it, he was a young dragon himself at the time, but he had no intention of living in a world without his friend. "You know, you didn't have to roar so loud right in my ear Toothless." He heard the blonde say, while he no longer saw her as a threat to Hiccup's immediate safety he was still wary of her. Hiccup seemed to trust her to s degree and while they'd been catching fish he urged Toothless to lighten up on her and give her a chance to make amends, whatever those were, and she had been giving him a lot of fish lately, Toothless figured it was probably time to return the favor.

Toothless' eyes narrowed at her as her crept forward sniffing her as she did, Astrid was still sitting against the rock so she had nowhere to go, her mind began racing Hiccup was out of sight and she doubted he could respond in time if she called for help. Just before she was about to try and roll out of the way half a fish landed in her lap, she looked to the fish and then back up the dragon who was currently sitting on his hind legs staring at her. They sat there for several minutes, Astrid had no idea what to do, she just holding the fish Toothless had spat up, she got her answer when Toothless looked down at the fish and back to her. She sudden realized that he was sharing a fish like he had with Hiccup her first night staying in the camp against her will, she thought about going to wash it like the young man had but Toothless wasn't moving, just watching her, so she slowly raised the fish to her mouth and repressed the urge to gag as she took a bite out of it. The taste was horrible but the moment it was in her mouth the dragon tilted his head slightly and gave what looked like a smile smirk, she hoped this would satisfy whatever he had in mind as she offered the rest of the fish back to him and she could spit out the meat once he wasn't looking, her hopes were dashed however when he squinted at he and made a gulping noise. Astrid knew wanted he wanted and with a degree of difficulty to avoid throwing up managed to swallow the mouthful of fish she had in her mouth, Toothless licked outside of his mouth and made a small noise she could only assume meant he was either enjoying her struggle or a dragon comment on how much he liked fish, she couldn't help but smile since the noise sounded of undragon-like and to her complete surprise Toothles smiled back at her, revealing a gummy mouth without teeth. She looked closer raising her hand to block the sunlight, she distinctly remembered him baring teeth at her before when she'd found them two weeks prior, she must have gotten a bit to close because he moved his head and teeth suddenly popped out of his gums with a low growl. Astrid stopped, his name finally made some sense, she however kept her hand slightly held in the air and Toothless stopped growling in order to look at her again, as if he were reading her or looking into her very soul in that moment; she stopped thinking and the world around them seemed to disappeared and it was just her and Toothless now, she stood up and closed her eyes while holding her hand stretched out to the Night Fury, it was inches from his snout, after a moment she felt a scales meet her palm. She was worried at first but when she felt no pain she opened her eyes and found Toothless had his closed as well and his snout against her hand, after the dragon opened his eyes he shook his head and huffed before leaving the spot they just been in with a stunned Astrid in his wake.

A laugh broke her free from her moment of shock; she looked around as she found Hiccup standing against the rock he'd disappeared behind, "You know he did the exact same thing to me in this very cove? That's how he and I bonded and that night I made him my first version of his artificial tail that night after I left you guys talking about who would kill the Monstrous Nightmare." He said with a chuckle, Astrid recalled that night, it was the night before he had pushed back a Hideous Zippleback when the rest of the teens had already failed the test. The she realized what he had just told her, Toothless had just bonded to her, surely not on the same level as Hiccup but he trusted her on some level now, she smiled over at the lizard who gave her a gummy one in return. "He might even let you join us on a flight no-." Hiccup was cut off by the sound of a knife landing in one of the wooden poles of his tent; Astrid was up in a spilt second with her hands up, her axe still resting in the tent where she left it while training in hand-to-hand as she had been the last two weeks, Toothless was also alert and looking in the direction the knife had come from.

Hiccup examined the weapon as he pulled it out of the wood, it was a throwing dagger, meant to be used at a range, but when he saw the engravings on the blade and the textures on the hilt his eyes widened, he knew this blade. He turned to the forest outside the cove and began shouting in a foreign language Astrid didn't understand, she was about to ask what he was doing when a voice responded in the same strange language and a hooded figure jumped from a tree and landed on one knee and hand on the ground, barely making a noise as they did. The person was slim, slimmer than Hiccup about the same as Astrid herself was; from this she assumed it was a woman. Hiccup approached her, she had yet to look up, still talking in the foreign tongue that Astrid couldn't make head or tails of, he motioned to her and the hooded woman looked in her direction for the first time. The woman stood up and removed her hood, revealing long black hair held in a bun and slightly paler skin, the two spoke more in the strange language and Astrid was just about to say something when Hiccup spoke Norse again. "Astrid, this is Shado. Shado… Astrid." It reminded her of when he introduced Toothless when she had followed him to the cove five years ago; he was nervous and unsure how the introduction would go. Astrid approached them and held out her hand for the woman to shake but she merely nodded wordlessly.

"Don't take it personally, took her nearly a month to speak to me. And another one before she spoke in Norse." Hiccup reassured the blonde Viking, the woman her introduced as Shado tapped his shoulder and handed him a rolled up parchment with a strange seal keeping it closed and left without a word once he took it saying "Doumo". Astrid watched where the woman had vanished into the shadows of the forest and redirected her attention on the parchment that Hiccup was currently unrolling and reading, much to her chagrin it was written in a foreign language as well, but she did recognized one of the symbols: it was Roman. She studied Hiccup's face and saw his eyes running over it, clearly able to read it with ease and his brow furrowed the more he read. "What is it?" she asked carefully, she didn't want to press her new friendship with him but whatever was written on the parchment was bothering him and had her curious as to why.

Rolling up the parchment and walking over to the tent Hiccup gathered his armor, "I'm going to have to leave for a while, this is something I can't really explain right now, but I have to go." He turned to find a less than pleased Astrid with her arms crossed and a glare set on him. He knew she wanted answers, but he had to deal with this problem that had been brought to his attention by Shado and he couldn't do that without leaving Berk. "You're not going anywhere until I know what's going on, who was that woman and what did that parchment say? And if you don't answer me right now then I'm just going to have to tag along." Hiccup froze when she said the last part, he had expected the demand for answers, and he could've promised to answer them when he got back, if lived long enough to, but he hadn't expected her to threaten to come with him. Not that she could, he was going to be flying on Toothless and with all his gear he had to pack up they'd be flying heavy as if was. He stopped fastening the straps of his armor and looked at her, Toothless was behind her and shared a concerned looked, he knew just as well as Hiccup what they were about to head into and Astrid could get hurt if they let her come. "I'm sorry Astrid but that's impossible Toothless will be carrying our gear and me, if we add you and your gear he won't be able to stay in the air, you're just going to have to trust me on this." Hiccup said praying to the gods she would accept this and just be willing to trust him, after all he'd be gone for nearly two weeks and she'd be free to tell everyone who he was if she wanted so he was taking the real risks here.

Astrid's face scrunched for a moment, she was thinking. Hiccup had the familiar feeling of the Gods hating him again and it was confirmed with her response. "Well I guess we're just going to have to get me a dragon then." Hiccup's jaw dropped and was mirrored by his Night Fury outside the tent; neither of them had really expected her to go from just making peace with Toothless to wanting her own dragon. Hiccup started to protest but stopped when she raised her fist, while he knew he could stop her punch, he doubted he could dissuade her from coming along at this point; the thought of knocking her out crossed his mind but figured that would just fuel her determination to follow him with anger. He sighed and hung his head, if he just tried to leave she might get herself killed trying to train a dragon herself and he never wished death upon her, he knew the only real choice he had was to submit. "I'm not going to win this one am I?" he asked, she answered with a smirk and a shake of her head, "Alright, lets get all this packed up, we'll need to make you a saddle for long term riding and holding your gear. Think about what dragon you'd like to train that's in the arena, it'll save us time instead of tracking down a wild one in the woods." Astrid's eyes lit up, something told Hiccup she was always planning on forcing him to help her train a dragon after she found him and Toothless, the events happening today merely accelerated her chance, and the look told her she already had a dragon in mind. Despite himself he smiled, while he'd never trained someone else to ride a dragon he was liking the idea of others knowing the joy it brought him, the fact that it was Astrid that was starting it only magnified both the happiness his dream now had a chance to become real and his feelings for her which he had finally given up on burying. "Once we're done with all the packing get a good lunch and some rest. Tonight Astrid, you're gonna learn… how to train your dragon."


	13. Chapter 13

**I have to apologize to you all, this chapter was meant to be up several days ago, but thanks to two straight days of bad thunder storms I lost and had to rewrite this entire chapter twice. And as usual my brain thought of new and better ways for it to play out. I want to keep a steady minimum of one or two chapters a week and will upload more if I can. I thank you guys for your understanding and don't blame those of you who want this updated everyday if not every couple of hours. Sadly adult life sucks and much of my time is eaten by bills and hunting down an engagement ring for the woman crazy enough to date me the last three years, but you guys are a awesome reminder to why I do this. Thank you for all the follows and favorites and if you're one of the few who've left me a review then give yourself a pat on the back for putting a smile on this idiotic face I have. **

Chapter 13

Hiccup looked around the area where his camp had been set up, he wanted to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he had his armor on and his helmet was sitting on a rock where Astrid was currently dozing after eating some fish. Once he was sure everything was accounted for he picked up his helmet and gave Toothless a hand signal to keep and eye on Astrid, the dragon quietly made his way over to the sleeping Viking and laid in front of her, spreading a wing out so shield her from the cold air now that the tent had been collapsed and her bedroll was packed, Hiccup was still nervous about Astrid coming along, but at this point Toothless seemed to like the idea of having extra company for the journey to Rome, even if it was only a three-four day trip in the sky. As he walked towards the village Hiccup thought over the message Shado had brought him, the brotherhood wouldn't make contact with him unless it was serious business, and the Grand Master knew how he had felt about their order the last time they'd spoken, so to send Shado to deliver the message meant it was urgent.

Hiccup's journey into the village was an uneventful one, he was planning to go to the forge and make the carrying equipment Astrid's future dragon would need for the trip, and it was still mind boggling to him that she was suddenly demanding her own dragon just to accompany him to Rome. Of course Astrid didn't know that's where they were headed, she didn't ask once since he lamented trying to get her to stay on Berk to avoid the danger, looking back he should have known she'd be willing to dive head first into it with or without him. But this time was different, this time the danger was stemming from Hiccup himself and anyone with him would be a potential target, and the fact that he had all but welcomed back and admitted to his feelings for her would be his biggest weakness. Hiccup was so distracted by his worries, his ignored that Snotlout was approaching him with a scowl on his face. "Hey Ryder, where do you think you're going huh? Finally get enough rejection from putting the moves on Astrid the last couple weeks?" The stout muscular boy asked. All the willpower in the world and Valhalla couldn't stop the laugh that escaped Hiccup. Here was his cousin who couldn't take a hint of Astrid's rejection if his life depended on it claiming 'Ryder' was the one getting rejected, despite Hiccup having never made any advances on her. The taller young man had to stop and hold himself up against the nearest structure to catch his breath, while he had no doubt that Spitelout would eventually offer the Hoffersons a sizable marriage contract and they'd accept, it didn't mean Astrid was going to ever let Snotlout do anything with her, the thought just cracked Hiccup up. He could see that this reaction was getting on Snotlout's nerves and not wanting to have to do anything that could postpone his departure, raised his hands in apology, the brotherhood was not an organization you kept waiting.

Clearly it wasn't enough as Snotlout tried to punch Hiccup while he was studying himself, luckily Hiccup's speedy reaction time allowed him to see it coming and catch the meaty fist hurtling towards him. Hiccup then grabbed his cousin's arm and gave it a hard twist, it would hurt like Hel, but it wouldn't do any serious damage. He followed with a quick sweep of his legs and put Snotlout on the ground, he didn't want this to escalade any further and if anyone came by at this point he'd have to fight off half the village before he could say anything. "Listen up moron, I'm training her in fighting, not flirting with her, and even if I were flirting, wouldn't the fact that she's spent the last two weeks in my camp indicate she liked it? Now I'm going to let go of you if you, if you try anything I'll knock you out again and this time you won't have a friend nearby to wake you up." With that he released his cousin's arms, stood up and backed away a few steps to ensure he wouldn't have to defend himself again. Snotlout seemed to have enough sense to not try anything again, but continued to glare daggers at him, once he was gone Hiccup continued to the forge where hopefully he could inform Gobber of his sudden… 'Business trip' and his predicament of Astrid refusing to stay put and the older man could impart some advice for him. Passing by the twins as they exited their home, Hiccup fought the disturbing feeling that ran down his back from Ruffnut staring at him and licking her lips, she did this every time he had walked by since that first day in the Meade hall and he'd never get used to it.

Upon entering the forge Hiccup was glad he didn't call out before hand, as Stoick was in the forge with Gobber talking in hushed tones. He was about to wait to turn around and wait outside when the two large men noticed him, "Ah Ryder, I was hoping you'd have to come into the village today, how's Astrid's training coming along?" The chief asked, still being in shock all Hiccup could manage was a nod. "Good, good, we'll be glad when she can start teaching others here when she's done." Somehow this snapped the dragon rider out of his stupor and figured Stoick would have to be told eventually, best to hear it straight from the source. "Actually, there's been a small snare in her training." He said as he pulled the throwing dagger from his belt and placed it on table in front of the two men. Gobber picked it up and studied it, Hiccup could tell that his former mentor was impressed with the intricate way the blade was forged, and it obviously was not made by Hiccup, the blade was decades old. "I've been summoned by some friends, the same ones who trained me… I'm going to have to answer and your blonde prodigy is adamant on accompanying me." Stoick's eyes left the blade and settled on the 'Ryder', his mouth open ready to protest but his son beat him to it. "I'm personally against it, these people are slow to trust and very efficient at keeping unwanted… guests out… permanently." He drawled, "I've tried to tell her this but she's not budging in her choice and I'm worried if I tell her no she'll try something stupid like try to follow me and get herself hurt, lost or killed." Both Gobber and Stoick nodded in agreement with him, not really helping the young man's anxiety with the issue.

Hiccup knew he promised Astrid she come with him with a dragon of her own, but he doubted she knew exactly what that meant. He also knew that she would try to train a dragon on her own if he were to just take off with Toothless and that could be deadly since she didn't know how, bonding with Toothless just really gotten her off his bad side, but a wild dragon would be a lifelong commitment, tying your fate to that dragon's until one or both of them died. Hiccup was hoping to talk to Gobber as himself and if he could find a reason sound or logical enough to convince Astrid to stay on Berk until he returned from Rome, if he returned. Stoick said something about talking with her parents before leaving, Hiccup wasn't truly listening, he was raking his brain for a way to keep her on the island, "So ya don't want the finest shield maiden on yer journey with ya?" Gobber asked smacking him on the back to bring him out of his own head. "You don't understand Gobber, I'm going to be flying there on Toothless, the trip there alone will take three to four days and we'd be too heavy of she were to ride as well, so she wants me to help her train a dragon for herself." Hiccup explained, Gobber had a similar look of disbelief on his face that the dragon tamer himself had worn when Astrid told him she wanted a dragon. "And don't get me wrong, seeing Vikings make peace with dragons would be a dream I had given up on come true, but I think she just sees it as a means to an end. Once she bonds with a dragon, that dragon is going to be hers, until someone here kills it. Astrid either won't believe me or won't hear me when I tell her that and I'm not about to let her do something foolish that could get her or that dragon killed." Gobber merely stood there after composing himself and listened, Hiccup needed to rant and the forge master had always been willing to lend an ear back before he'd been forced to run.

The young man was grateful that time hadn't changed the smith much, he seemed the same as Hiccup remembered him only prone to hug him now, unlike the rest of the village who had seemed to harden even more if that was possible, Hiccup had even seen some poorly drawn posters of him with daggers being thrown in them by some of the villagers. Astrid had revealed that to be part of the annual celebration of his departure, before quickly claiming she never took part in, and then adding she didn't celebrate it at all. Hiccup shrugged it off, it was part of turning his back on people who truly never had his and he wasn't bothered by it and returned to what he was doing at the time. After his rant to Gobber the smith suggested he be blunt with Astrid about the dragon thing but to be prepared in case it didn't work, which was exactly why he was now making saddle attachments for carrying camping equipment and her axe, if she still insisted on coming with him he'd have to make a saddle after she choose a dragon. He'd leave it hidden in his old room of the forge so no one would ask questions and he would have nearby to make sure it fit.

As he walked out of the forge to return to the cove in hopes of making the blonde see that it was better to stay put and let him deal with his past on his own, Hiccup was stopped, by his father. "Ryder, I was hoping to catch you before you returned to your camp. I don't know why, but Gobber seems to respect your wishes to keep its location quiet. I have spoken with the Hofferson's, they are not thrilled about the idea of their only daughter going off Thor knows where with someone they don't know. Their even less thrilled that she wants to go when you would prefer for her to remain here as well." The man sighed before continuing, "But they know Astrid will never forgive them if the force her to stay when she clearly wants to go, I assume you would continue her training if she did?" Hiccup nodded slowly, against his better judgment. "Then as long as you agree to keep her in one piece and get her back safely they have agreed to allow to her to go." Hiccup's stomach dropped, now her parents and Stoick were more or less onboard with her joining him? Did everyone on Berk lose the little sense they had in the last five years?

Not wanting to seem ungrateful, Hiccup nodded once again and started for the Hofferson house. He knocks before stepping back and waiting for one of Astrid's parents to answer, a part of him hoping they'll be upset and he can try to let them convince her to stay behind where she'd be safe. A knot formed in his stomach at the thought, a few short weeks ago and he wouldn't have given her a second thought, but after two weeks of practically living together while she was training in some of the fighting styles he'd learned? He's also ashamed to say she feels like a friend. The door swung open to reveal Astrid's father, Hiccup had never met him before and couldn't remember what his first name was at the moment, upon seeing the guise of 'Ryder' the patriarch of the Hofferson family's face dropped any pleasantries it had and turned into a steely glare. Hiccup saw the muscle movement and was able to put his metal foot out just in time to catch the door before it slammed shut, he knew he was risking getting punched, but he also knew this was the right thing to do. Damn his moral fiber.

"Mr. Hofferson, I understand and respect that you probably want nothing more than to strangle me or something more horrific if your daughter takes after you, but I just wanted to convey my thanks for you're agreeing to this arrangement." Hiccup says before he can actually come up with anything else, "I understand that you don't know me and therefore have no reason to trust me with your daughter's safety, but I give you my word for whatever it may or may not be worth, I won't let any harm come to her. I actually think traveling with her will entail me ending up with more bruises… your girl has a wicked right hook." Hiccup rubbed his arm from the memory of a few nights previous, he'd told Astrid about an encounter and following battle with some Outcast ships and that nearly got him killed and she punched him claiming 'that was for being stupid and reckless.' He smiled at the memory, also recalling her saying something similar just before she discovered Toothless five years ago, before he snapped his attention back to the blonde girl's father, finding her mother, Ingrid her recalled, standing behind her husband.

The sudden laughter from the pair caused Hiccup to take a step back; he had expected rage or maybe angry/begrudging understanding, but laughter was something he'd become unaccustomed to hearing unless it was from himself or Toothless. Five years with almost no contact with other people and being with the same reptile who'd become his best friend and brother had really skewed his perception of normal. Astrid's parents continued to laugh a little longer than he was comfortable with before shaking his hand and thanking him for looking out for her while she was tagging along, he didn't get a chance to see if they would like to talk to her and convince her to stay, by the time the shock of their laughter had worn off they were gone, her father headed towards the docks and her mother disappearing somewhere he didn't see. Rubbing the back of his neck as he trudged his way back to the cove, he let out a long sigh and just accepted he was stuck with her.

The past couple of weeks had been a struggle for him, trying to keep his distance emotionally by forcing himself to focus on her training in one of the styles he had learned in his travels. Unfortunately her curiosity and thick headedness managed to get him to divulge stories from his time away. He played it smart, only telling her tales where he came out relatively unscathed. Tales of battles he had been in alongside Toothless against Outcasts or Berserkers, never the Romans though, Astrid wasn't ready to here about his 'visit' to one of their outposts on the fringes of the Archipelago. He also told her about some of the dragons he'd discovered and studied along with new information about ones they knew of, leaving out only a few, including the one that made the largest scar on his body, he said a silent prayer of thanks she hadn't seen his upper torso without a shirt on.

As he neared the cove, Hiccup could hear her laughing and saw Toothless rolling around in a patch of dragon nip that had grown in the corner of the cove over time. A smile finding his face again as he removed the helmet from his head, he was glad that they were finally getting along, the journey was going to be long enough without having to constantly play peace maker between his best friend and renewed crush. He watched in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the scene, the moment was ended when Astrid turned her head and blue eyes met green. Hiccup couldn't help but think back to the day she'd found his camp, the silence was nearly painful.

Finally managing to tear his gaze away from her, Hiccup walked over to where his gear was lying by Toothless' burnt spot on the ground, checking for the fifth time to ensure that nothing would fall out in the flight and tightening things unnecessarily. They would be returning to the cove to collect everything after she managed to tame her own dragon, though Hiccup was still wishing she would change her mind, thinking about the request that was added to the bottom of summons from the brotherhood. It required adding that fourth day being added to their already long trip, but he knew if they weren't sending one of their own agents then it was something that needed to be addressed. Someone nudged his side and he found her kneeling next to him, closer than he was comfortable with, looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"You ok Hiccup?" she asked, "You look a little stressed."

"I'm ok just need to get a fun flight in before we go." He answered, wondering why his stress would give her reason to be concerned; it was disconcerting to have a person act this way around him after all this time. "Hey Toothless, feel like having some fun in the air before we have to get going?" he asked the dragon who was finally removing himself from the patch of dragon nip, an answer came in the form of a bounding Night Fury with his teeth retracted and his tongue hanging out like an over excited dog. Hiccup flipped the latch on his left foot to switch into his flight harness and mounted the dragon's back, he was about to open the tail fin when he stopped and turned to Astrid and held a hand out to her. Seeing the hesitation on her face caused him to try and fail to suppress a laugh, earning him a glare from the young Viking woman. Rolling his eyes he leaned to yanked her up unto Toothless behind him, "Alright Bud, she wants her own dragon, whattya you say we give her a taste of what she's getting herself into? …Oh no."

The gleam in Toothless' eye was an all too familiar one and Hiccup barely had time to grab Astrid's arms and wrap them around him before they launched vertically into the air. Hiccup registered the tightening grip from Astrid as well as her yelling at the top of her lungs, right beside his ear, yet her legs suddenly finding their way around his midsection was the thing that caught him off the most. Hiccup tried to reason with his friend as they started spinning, and doing a menagerie of other stunts they'd done as a pair over the years due to their mutual addiction to the rush it gives them, however they fell on deaf scales, Toothless was enjoying himself far too much to stop. Astrid's grip with both her arms and her legs was starting to suffocate Hiccup so he decided bribery was the best course of action.

"Toothless, level out and give us an easy flight and there's an extra belly scratch in it for you when we make camp again." He said as quietly as he could, which considering he had to be heard over Astrid's screaming wasn't very quiet at all. It had the desired effect; the dragon shot his wings out and slowed the dive they were in and leveled into a lofty glide, the sudden change of speed and direction brought forth another shot from Astrid who squeezed even tighter before realizing the crazy antics had ceased. Hiccup looked over his shoulder slightly when her legs left his torso, he noted with a hint of disappointment, and watched as she looked around at the view just below the clouds, the ocean bathed orange by the setting sun.

Astrid opened her eye after the death defying aerial moves stopped and the air left her. The view was amazing, the ocean and rock columns holding an orange hue as the sun set and the island of Berk just to their right caused her mouth to drop open in wonder. She removed her legs from around Hiccup, ignoring a small voice wanting to keep them there for some reason, and looked just above her to see the clouds hanging just above their heads. Reaching up with one hand she touched the orange-ish white puff in the sky before her second hand joined it, reveling in the cool feeling that was left on her hands before they returned around the torso of the young man in front of her. Toothless did a small slow duck before turning back up and taking them through the barrier and into the already night sky above them, Astrid looked around again as the sky came to light with the northern lights that couldn't be seen otherwise. The beauty of everything around her at the moment filling her with a wonder she's never truly known before, Toothless began to lower below the clouds once again and night had found its way to Berk.

The village was in sight now and the shield maiden gasped at how serene it looked from a dragon's eye view, they descended and flew past a few of the outlying columns with burning fires in them meant as a warning to passing sailors that the island was inhabited. Astrid rested her chin on Hiccup's shoulder, not noticing his head turning slightly towards her or the red that filled his face, and saw Toothless look back at her and give a toothy smile as they continued to circle the village.

"Alright I gotta admit, this is pretty cool… it's amazing. He's amazing." She said finally, earning a kind rumble from the Night Fury. Hiccup smiled as they continued to the dragon arena, landing just outside the gate and walking in.

Hiccup knew this was the point of no return as they approached the doors to the pens and adjusted the shoulder pads of his armor, feeling off without his helmet on, but it was the middle of the night and Astrid said people rarely come out to the arena except for the dragon training they still taught.

"Astrid, you need to know before you do this…" he started looking into her eyes and pushing the butterflies in his stomach away and giving her a serious look, almost the same as he did when she found him at his camp, "This isn't a one and done thing, if you go through with this then whichever dragon here you choose will become loyal to you. Not unlike Toothless does for me it will protect you, with its life if it comes to it. Not to mention you're throwing your entire life as a warrior and shield maiden away by siding with what they still consider their enemy, you'd be no better than me in their eyes. I don't want t see you or this dragon getting hurt and I have to return once this business is done so I can keep the other wild dragons safe. That means putting you in even more danger then you're insisting on joining me for now, because these people know you." The words weren't mean spirited, but they were weighted, he could see her thinking it over and hoped she'd understand and allow him to go it alone with Toothless; he'd never forgive himself if something happened to her.

The things he said circled in Astrid's head, no doubt he said them to make her listen and the threat to her reputation was something that would always make her stop and ponder her actions. The idea of being branded a traitor and losing her honor as a shield maiden was a terrifying thought, but for some reason she couldn't explain the thought of him leaving again was far more terrifying to her and she wished she knew why. They had never been close, not since they were children before he'd become known as useless, but much like the day he left the first time this idea of him leaving a second was unacceptable. And Astrid doesn't do unacceptable, taking a deep breathe and looking him in those forest green eyes barely visible in the torch light around the ring and ignoring the strange tingle in her chest, she gave her answer.

"Hiccup…" she took another steadying breathe. "Anywhere you're gonna be, that's where I want to be right now." 'Did I say that out loud?" She thought to herself after her unintentional slip of the tongue. Hiccup's face had a surprised look on it and became even darker in the poor light before he nodded before sweeping his arm towards the pens for her to make her choice. She came to stand beside him and pointed at the door holding the Deadly Nadder.

**A/N: Astrid's last line, minus Hiccup's name of course, is from a song of the same title by the band Barenaked Ladies, give it a listen, I really enjoy the song and am even considering adding more nods to music I listen to in future chapters. Anyone know how to blend country with Viking lore? **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Fishlegs couldn't sleep; he'd gotten maybe a day worth of sleep in the last two weeks since he'd seen Ryder in the dragon arena petting the Deadly Nadder kept there like it was a trained animal. The large Viking teen still had a hard time wrapping his mind around it, he remembers the Nadder tilting its head so the stranger could scratch under the chin and the way it's wings fluttered slightly while he did was kin t enjoyment. Fishlegs had never seen a dragon act that way, not since Hiccup had begun rising to the top of dragon training back before the scrawny boy was found to be harboring a dragon, Fishlegs wondered if Hiccup had taught Ryder how to approach a dragon in order to do something like petting it, and if it was possible for others to learn it as well. He didn't even realize that in his haze of thinking about the phenomenon he'd witnessed that he'd wandered to the dragon arena and was currently standing near the chief's chair in the darkest area at this time of night.

He was snapped back to his surroundings when he heard something, a voice. It was coming from inside the ring and Fishlegs wonders how he hadn't heard them entering it. Moving quietly as he could, Fishlegs inched to the metal fencing and looked over the stone edge to see if he could make out who was there and possibly why. He could just make out two people standing near the dragon pens and the one that was talking used a hushed voice that seemed familiar but he couldn't place. He could only make out a few words, something about life as a warrior, another about enemies and dragons were the most prominent, Fishlegs was trying to place the voice, where had he heard it before? Then he heard the second figure speak, he immediately recognized the voice as Astrid, what he wasn't expecting was what she said.

"Hiccup…" she took a steady breathe and Fishlegs' eyes widened and stifled a gasp. Hiccup was on Berk? He heard Astrid continue before more questions could come forward in his head, "Anywhere you're gonna be, that's where I want to be right now." The silence between the two made Fishlegs feel like he was intruding on something private, which he realized he was, but Hiccup was a traitor and outcast who shouldn't be on Berk to begin with. How did he return? When? And why was Astrid with him? And why did she want to go with him when she was leaving in the morning with Ryder? He wanted to demand answers but he noticed a figure just outside the gate, unmistakably a dragon, and it was keeping a look out for people coming towards the gate. Fishlegs didn't recognize the type of dragon, so he wasn't going to risk anything that could get him killed, he instead chose to continue watching what was happening in the ring as the Deadly Nadder pen began to open.

The Nadder squawked in surprise, not used to her pen being opened in the dead of night. She peered out and could see two people standing just beyond it, neither was poised to attack but she brandished the quills on her tail for good measure, time had told her they weren't above playing tricks. Then she caught the scents of the two standing before her in the darkness, one was from many years ago, a female who carried an axe and shouted a lot. The other was one that had been there several days earlier and around the same time the loud female had been around, he was a male, she remembered him scratching her chin fondly and felt herself calm slightly, just enough to retract the spikes and tilt her head questioningly. The male held his hand out an approached her slowly, she knew he meant her no harm, and was hoping he might scratch her scales again where she couldn't reach, she paced towards him and he stepped back just enough to keep his hand from touching her. She moved forward again and he moved back once more, moving to the female who was watching and appeared slightly apprehensive, the dragon caught on as she followed his hand until the two were standing before her and his hand finally met her snout. Letting out a kind crooning as she saw his other hand reach for the females before taking hold and gently placing it on next to his and baking away, leaving just the two standing there, connected.

Hiccup watched as the two stood there is silence, merely keeping an eye out for any reason he might need to step in if the Nadder suddenly became hostile. He smiled when he heard the affectionate crooning and Astrid's hand started rubbing the dragon's snout seemingly of its own accord, knowing they were beginning to form the bond that will only grow stronger with time. The sudden realization that Astrid now has a dragon of her own and will most likely be outcast and branded a traitor like him made his stomach drop, but a small part of him was guiltily happy that he would have company now. As he swallowed in an attempt to moisten his dry throat Hiccup turned to one of the boxes that were against the wall and rummaged through it to find some rope, the next step was to make a saddle for her to ride on and walking the Nadder through the village wasn't an option. He checked over his shoulder again just to make sure Astrid wasn't doing anything that could push the dragon away, he found her cradling the Nadder's head in her arms in a friendly hug, and it was a strange sight since Astrid usually isn't the friendly hug type as far as he could remember. The day of the duel flashed in his head but that was different, she hadn't known it was him and she cried while he held her, the entire time asking himself why he was doing it dreading he knew the answer deep down.

Astrid held the Nadder's head closer as she reveled in the strange warmth that seemed to radiate off it in waves as it crooned and tilted its head into her arms to become more comfortable while practically purring to her. She couldn't believe that no Viking before Hiccup had seen this side of dragons, she knew this creature could kill her in an instant if it wanted to, she'd seen the spikes embedded in others around the village and heard there screams of pain, but here she was giving one a hug and scratching it's chin like it was a common house pet, and the dragon was acting like one. She suddenly understood on a new deeper level why Hiccup had defied Stoick and risked everything for Toothless, and was ashamed she hadn't tried to listen back then, the guilt of what she did that day was coming back ten fold, she could have connected with this dragon five years ago and done great things alongside Hiccup and the rest of Berk, if she had only listened. She was vaguely aware of the thump-click of Hiccup approaching from the equipment box he'd been shuffling through for some reason, but she wasn't ready to open her eyes and face him with the guilt in her eyes yet.

"Astrid?" something in the way he asked drew her eyes to his without her permission and she looked at him, "You're going to need something to hang onto until we get to the forge and I can make your saddle. Gobber said he'd leave it unlocked just in case and we need to be gone before sunrise. It should only take about an hour of two to make one." She nodded and he held the rope up to tie around the Nadder for the quick flight to the forge while explaining some basics in dragon riding. She wanted to thank him, wanted to hug him and beg for his forgiveness that she had yet to ask for, but a lump had formed in her throat when she looked at him and her voice refused to work, so she resigned herself to nod and listen to his instructions on flying with her new dragon.

Fishlegs watched the entire scene with wide eyes, Astrid had hugged a dragon, and it was _purring _in her arms, Hiccup had backed away and returned to her side, talking too softly for him to hear. He figured they were trying to be quiet since it was nearing midnight and they were stealing a dragon, or were they liberating it? Fishlegs shook his head and refocused as they began moving to the main gate where the other dragon still stood watch, when they entered the slop of the gate and the light around them became stronger he could see it was in fact Hiccup standing there, rubbing the black dragon on the nose before mounting it. Astrid jumped on the back of the Nadder as it kneeled for her as if the two had been doing it for years, and in the blink of an eye the two dragons were in the air, the moonlight was strong but they faded from view almost immediately. Fishlegs had to do something, Astrid had just followed in Hiccup's footsteps, she'd be branded a traitor for sure, and what was that line about wanting to be wherever Hiccup was? He had to find someone, tell them what happened, but his legs wouldn't move as the other side of his brain kept asking the same question. If dragon were so dangerous, how did Astrid, with Hiccup's help, pull one out of its pin and fly off on it's back in a matter of minutes? After another few minutes he managed to yank his feet away from the spot they seemed to be stuck to and hurried his way back to the village.

As Fishlegs made it back to the village he was beginning to panic, he had to do something, didn't he? He was so lost in his frantic state of mind he didn't notice where he was going and ran straight into someone. "Hey watch it! Wait Fishlegs?" the person said in a familiar twinge ran through him, it was Ruffnut. He helped her up and attempted to walk around her, if she asked anything about what he was doing he'd spilled everything, and he wasn't entirely sure that was the smart play right now. Unfortunately he wasn't known for being out late and Ruff was smarter then she let on as she moved in his way every time he tried to go around her. "Why are you out this late Fishy? Got a secret girlfriend or something?" Fishlegs bit his tongue as subtly as he could, he was better off with her assuming he was going to a late night meeting with some girl then spilling what he just witnessed to half of the village loudmouth, sometimes he really hated that he had a crush on her. Ruffnut apparently became tired of waiting for his answer as she raised her voice and punched his stomach at the same time, "Spit it out!"

"Hiccup somehow managed to sneak back into the village and Astrid just flew off with him on the back of dragons." He blurted out quickly the moment the moment the girl's fist connected with his gut. The blonde's jaw hung open in disbelief; he could tell she didn't want to believe him but he wasn't one for lying, or keeping secrets, he mentally cursed himself and hung his head so he'd be ready when she punched him again.

"How do you know it was Hiccup?"

Fishlegs' head shot up and he saw her standing there with her arms crossed and a skeptical look on her face, she hadn't asked about anything else which meant she knew he was telling the truth, but wasn't sold on it being Hiccup. "I…I overheard Astrid call him by name before insisting on going with him and somehow taming a dragon… Then I got a good look at him when they were leaving the arena." He lamented, she knew now, there was no point in hiding anything else from her. He dropped his head again; she'd either beat him up now or drag him to Stoick and force him to confess what he'd witnessed again. While Astrid was often angry and violent, she was still his friend and he didn't like the idea of ratting on her to the chief, even if it was what he should do. This made it a complete surprise when Ruffnut sighed loudly before taking his hand in hers and began dragging him towards the Meade hall.

"Come on you look like you could use a pint, or twenty." She said in an oddly kind voice. He was confused to the point of silence, opening and shutting his mouth trying to find the words he needed to ask her why. "Look Astrid can be a bit of a botch sometimes, but she's still my closet friend and I'm not about to let her get outcast or killed because you don't know how to keep a secret if your life depended on it. So if you're right we need to keep it quiet for now until we can find a way to get in touch with her. The chief said she was leaving with _Ryder_ to continue her training and was going to be gone a couple weeks, maybe that's still true." Fishlegs thought this over; he'd remembered the announcement at dinner earlier that night, could Ryder and Hiccup be working together? Maybe Ryder was helping Hiccup and he was dealing with everything in the village since Hiccup would be bond and charge for his past crimes on Berk. He'd come into the village in armor matching Ryder's with Astrid, which supported the theory of them working together, but Stoick said Ryder and Astrid were leaving at first light tomorrow and Hiccup left with Astrid a half hour ago. These did need answers so maybe Ruffnut was right, she was currently mumbling to herself and Fishlegs fought the urge to think is was cute, unsuccessfully. "Anyway, until we know for sure what's going on you'll have to stay close to me so I can cover for you or just plain shut you up. So until Astrid's back home you're gonna have to play the role of my new boyfriend." If it weren't for all that had been happening over the last hour, Fishlegs' would've passed out from pure joy.

*15 hours later, over the ocean

Hiccup and Astrid had been flying for hours, only stopping a few times to eat or take care of other bodily functions **(using the bathroom, you pervs)**, not much had been said between them since he finished her saddle for her Nadder, a female Astrid had dubbed Stormfly. The name cam to her head after they had past a bad looking storm about three hours after leaving Berk and the dragon had been keen on flying through it, despite Hiccup insisting they fly over it so he could avoid the lightening, who knew metal attracted it? Hiccup kind enough to take it easy as far as the flight was concerned, he didn't push her so she could become accustom to the still new sensation of flying. They'd flown by several islands and Astrid had been blown away by the beauty from seeing them in an aerial view, Hiccup had only really pointed them out and commented on what dragons could be found there. She wished she had something they could talk about to pass the time while she looked over to him, but she reminded herself that he used to flying alone with Toothless and most likely in total silence outside the wind in his ears, a creeping feeling of sympathy for him. Five years was a long time, and he probably spent most of his time on Toothless' back flying in the air, this was proven when she noticed Hiccup leaning forward and saying something she couldn't hear while scratching the Night Fury's neck.

"Hey Astrid, keep going straight this way, Toothless and I need to do something real quick." He said turning back to her for the first time since they'd taken off from their lunch stop; she was beginning to think the lean muscle he'd built over the last five years was due to an almost all fish diet. She nodded to him and the pair shot up higher into the clouds, after losing slight of them she leaned forward as well and patted Stormfly's neck, careful not to pat the spot on her neck that causes her to fire a single spike from her tail with deadly accuracy, she'd touched it that morning during one of their stops and pierced a rabbit which they decided to eat for a change. She was snapped from her reminiscing by the sound of excited shouting, she looked up and gasped when she saw Hiccup and Toothless falling head first from the clouds they'd flown above not a minute ago. Hiccup wasn't flailing or anything, in fact his shouting indicating he was enjoying himself, but he was falling extremely fast and Astrid doubted she could pull any rescue maneuvers with Stormfly at this point. Then she noticed they were circling each other, also moving with one mind, they were about to pass by her when Toothless suddenly turned around and Hiccup moved through the air and reattached his prosthetic, opening the tail fin and the two resumed the flight next to her and Stormfly like nothing had happened. Astrid stared at them with a slack jaw and bewilderment in her eyes, "You should probably close your mouth, I had to learn the hard way that's an excellent way to get flies in your throat," He laughs.

"What the Hel was that!?" Hiccup's grin falls from his face and Toothless puts his tongue back in his mouth before lowering his head, even Stormfly wavered a bit at the outburst causing Astrid to grab her saddle to hang on. She gives Hiccup a glare for good measure, waiting to hear his answer. "…Well!?"

Hiccup took a deep breathe and looked at towards an island off in the distance, they'd make it there faster than he'd expected, "I'm sorry Astrid." He said finally, "I had a lot on my mind and nothing seems to clear my head better than a little sky diving, If I worried or upset you in anyway you can punch me as hard as you'd like once we touch down to camp for the night." He explained while pointing to the quickly approaching island. It was still mid afternoon but they'd been flying since before the sun came up after finishing Stormfly's saddle and swinging by the cove to collect their gear, Hiccup could see Astrid getting tired and knew they'd both need sleep if they were going to reach their next stop by the end of the next day. Astrid's eyes softened in some form of understanding before giving him a glare for good measure and nudging Stormfly towards the island.

The two landed near a cave, Astrid noted a spot where a small fire had been at one point and another large blackened spot near the cave wall indicating Hiccup and Toothless had stayed there previously. She took her bed roll and a blanket off the carrying equipment from Stormfly's saddle and found a relatively warm spot for the night, she was cold from flying all day despite her wool lined hood and clothes, Hiccup had said it'll take time to adjust to it. After getting her bedroll set up she noticed that Hiccup had disappeared from the cave, Toothless was playing with Stormfly just before the tree line so he couldn't be far. Not knowing the layout of the island meant going out on her own was probably a bad idea, so she settled for sitting against the cave wall and watching the dragons, who where getting along remarkably well, use a large tree branch to play a game of tug-o-war, smiling to herself as she thought of all the times she'd played and won as a child.

Hiccup returned nearly an hour later, a wooden bowl filled with berries and a stick carrying a few rabbits and freshly caught fish. He sat on the opposite side of the cave and pulled out the dagger on his arm to start skinning the rabbits to eat, whistling loud enough that Toothless fired a small accurate plasma blast that lit a fire in the same spot there had been one before. Astrid's mind was sent back to the day he fled Berk on Toothless, when the Night Fury missed he and the other teens, minus Snotlout whose arm Hiccup managed to sprain when he rammed into the larger boy. She thought about asking, but the look on his face was too focused on skinning the rabbit in his hands, maybe after they ate would be better. She alternated between watching the dragons, who were now playing what looked like tag, and watching Hiccup until he finished skinning the rabbits before collecting a pot and water skin to begin preparing a stew.

After perhaps the most satisfying meal she'd had since a being forced to stay with Hiccup those first few nights, Astrid was stretching out on her bedroll lazily watching as Stormfly preened her scales and situated herself a few feet away in order to sleep, the blonde had taken a relaxing bath in a nearby hot spring Hiccup had directed her towards, he was currently there cleaning himself, and Toothless was heating up his blacken area of rock before nestling in for the night. Her eyes were becoming rather droopy when she heard Hiccup making his way back in the cave, she could just make out that he was shirtless through her blurred vision, she guessed he thought she was asleep since he usually seemed rather careful not to be in any state of undress around her, making the excuse that he didn't want to scare her, she figured he was just the same shy kid he was when he left. Then the light of the fire hit in just the right way of his back where she saw marks, her eyes shot open and she studied them, they appeared to be whip markings, hadn't Hiccup mentioned something about torture when she found him in his camp? She was about to ask when he put his tunic on and Toothless made gave a louder than usual dragonic groan, Hiccup merely laughed quietly and scratch the reptiles belly causing him to kick his hind leg in the air.

Hiccup was still awake nearly half an hour later, the moon was out and Astrid was shivering under her blanket. Toothless and Stormfly were happily dozing in the spots they'd each choosen, Hiccup however was restless, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since he'd set foot back on Berk. The duel, Gobber and Gothi discovering his identity, and then Astrid the next day, him having to actually train her to become even more deadly than she already was, her training her own dragon, it all seemed to blur together. Then again he knew the dumbest thing he'd done was letting his own stupid pride get the better of him in his fight with Dagur, he should have never revealed it was him behind the face guard, but the Viking in him, the part he hated the most about himself, was as stubborn as Stoick's at times. Hiccup took a small amount of relief in the knowledge that Dagur knew he never stayed in one village long and his alliance with Alvin was shattered when he and Toothless had managed to make them fire on one another, resulting in both sides losing several ships and several times as many men. Astrid shivered again and he laid his blanket over her in addition to her own, the long flight had likely chilled her to her very bones and it was truly hitting her on that she was lying down and the stew he'd made was no longer warming her up.

Tomorrow would be a pain once they reached the island where he had to fulfill the brotherhood's side request of him, the Grind Axe tribe were not the friendliest of people and what he was going to do would surly leave him with yet another target on his back. That's why Hiccup was planning on taking care of it after Astrid was asleep and wouldn't follow him, on the plus side it would give him a chance to finally test out one of his more recent and probably craziest inventions, but even that didn't mean he would enjoy the task. Astrid was still shivering from the chill beneath her skin, Hiccup sighed and pushed off the wall where he'd been leaning, making his way over to her bedroll. They didn't have anymore blankets and with the cold being internal there was really only one way to help her keep warm, with all the stealth and care he had gained over the years Hiccup laid down behind Astrid and wrapped his arms around her, she stopped shivering almost immediately and relaxed in her sleep. He figured after a few minutes she'd be warm enough and he'd return to his own bedroll to sleep for the night, however this became impossible when Astrid _snuggled_ into Hiccup and came to rest in a position where he couldn't move without waking her. Another heavy sigh left his mouth as he fought the rush of blood to his face and decided to just bite the arrow in the morning and forced himself to relax and fall asleep. Had Astrid turned over at some point, he would've seen the contented smile that made its way on to her face.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Astrid's eyes flittered open slowly the next morning, she had been cold for awhile the previous night but felt extremely warm in a pleasant way that allowed her to sleep better than she had in a couple of years. She went to get up when something tightened around her waist, looking down revealed it to be an arm, Hiccup's arm. Why the Hel was Hiccup's arm around her waist? She looked over her shoulder to look at the sleeping man and had to fight the rush of blood to her cheeks at the sight of him, her thoughts betrayed what she wanted to feel as she found herself thinking he was actually rather cute. Another minute passed before he began to stir, she stiffened as his arm began to move against her, why did it feel good? And why did a part of her want it to stay there? These answers would have to wait, as his eyes drifted open and locked with hers once his vision focused, and acting as quickly as she could, the blonde shoved him away from her a little harder than necessary. Part of her mind was upset at the loss of warmth and contact, but she was a warrior and warriors don't _cuddle_.

"Ow, well good morning to you too." He drawled while rubbing his leg where his prosthetic was still attached to his leg, Astrid recognized his tone from before he left. The dry humor was something he hadn't been using with her since they'd meet again and was almost out of place with his new physique.

"Well what where you expecting a kiss?" She responded not sounding as mad as she wanted to, and a traitorous part of her mind wasn't entirely against the idea of kissing him. Hiccup opened and closed his mouth, clearly rethinking his words, she'd punched him a few times after he regaled her with some of his adventures with Toothless. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to reprimand him for being reckless during a time when she didn't even know if he was alive, but her arm and mouth had kept moving without her consent.

"You were shaking from over 12 hours of flying last night, your body hasn't adjusted to it yet, I had to go through the same thing." His voice returned to its normal tone when he explained something to her, not demeaning or superior, but urging her to understand, "I had to spend most of my nights getting used to it either tucked under Toothless or wrapped up in his wings, I figured waking up under Stormfly might be a little much for you after one day of flight, so I held you to keep you warm." He looked down just in time to hide his reddening face as he removed his artificial leg and began rubbing the sore muscle of his stumped leg, a side effect of sleeping with it still attached. "Besides I was going to move once you were warm enough, until _you_ shifted in your sleep and curled against me. Had I had tried to move, I would have woken you and you needed the rest."

It was Astrid's turn to hide a red face as she turned from him, she wasn't exactly expecting a benign reason for him to have been holding her like that, and that same traitorous part of her mind was slightly disappointed there was. "Well if I was as cold as you say I was then it only makes sense that I'd move to a nearest source of warmth, so you only have yourself to blame." She retorted mentally shouting at the mutinous part of her brain wanting to shiver again when they made camp at their next stop. Hiccup chuckled in agreement while reattaching his metal leg and whistled again getting her to turn around just in time to see Toothless light the fire again without so much as opening his eyes, or moving from his comfortable spot in the corner of the small cave. The question she had from the previous night suddenly came back to the front of her mind, "His aim has gotten better since that day you two left." She said as casually as she could manage while Hiccup picked up a rabbit that they hadn't used in the stew for their dinner and gave her a quirked eyebrow in confusion, "You know after you freed him, you were running out and he fired at me and the other teens, he missed us, just barely but he still missed."

Hiccup stared at her for a minute, Astrid didn't know, then again how could she? Everything had happened so quickly that day some parts were a blur in his mind, however that moment wasn't one of them. He couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from his mouth and he place the rabbit down, he'd have to tell her once he could breathe again properly. "I'm sorry about that, it's just…" He chuckled again and took a deep breathe while pretending not to notice the blonde's clenched fists starting to shake, "He didn't miss Astrid." He said bluntly, there was nothing more to it than that really. Astrid gave him the same questioning eyebrow he had given her, drawing a steadying sigh from the auburn hair teen. "Toothless wasn't trying to kill you guys, just knock you back to give us room to get away; of course I had to pull him pretty hard to stop him from biting your head off at the time."

Astrid's eye widened and her hands fell limply to her sides, Toothless hadn't missed, he'd intentionally shot inches from them to protect Hiccup. Once again everything the village of Berk thought about the boy and dragon was wrong and she hated that they were so blinded by their stubborn hatred of the pair. Hiccup never meant any harm to them even when they'd given him ample reason to, sure he had more than enough anger towards them, but that fueled him desire to not return as himself, yet he didn't wish death or destruction on them. What kind of Viking, no, she reminded herself that Hiccup didn't consider himself a Viking, what kind of person would do that other than Hiccup? None that Astrid had ever met, and in five years which she was allowed to travel with Stoick as the youngest shield maiden in Berk's seven generations had allowed her to meet many people, all exactly like the people of Berk, except the Meathead clan, they were… odd.

"Any other things I can clarify about the past for you?" Hiccup asked sarcastically with a lopsided grin that made most of Astrid want to punch him, and the rest want to do something else she absolutely refused to acknowledge. She just settled for rolling up her bed roll and returning it to Stormfly's carrying harness, ignoring yet another chuckle from the young man behind her. Why was he so damn chipper? She distinctly remembers him to not be a morning person five years ago. After calming down she realized she never actually thanked him for caring enough to make sure she was ok for the night, but she didn't want him think it was ok to cuddle with her just because he got away with it once. So in true Astrid Hofferson style, she made her own way of thanking him. After breakfast, she walked up to him and punched him square in the arm, hard.

"That's for cuddling with me without my permission." That was going to be where she drew the line, but her stupid traitor body and mouth had other plans. Just as she turned to walk away her hand shot out, grabbing his and yanking him towards her and planting a quick peck on his cheek. "That's for… everything else." Regaining control of herself she turned and walked out of the cave as fast as she could without looking like she was trying to get away, hating the fact that she didn't hate what just happened and wondering when the warm feeling would fade from her lips.

Hiccup stood there paralyzed for a moment until he felt a huff of air on his left shoulder, turning around he saw Toothless' head hovering slightly above his shoulder staring after Astrid's retreating form while Stormfly trotted after her with wide eyes. "What are you looking at?" the rider asked incredulously, trying to piece together what exactly just happened himself, Hiccup couldn't think of a single time in the fourteen years he'd lived on Berk and the short time since returning where Astrid had shown much affection, the hug she'd given him the day of the duel was the only one he could come up with, when had she gone through that change? Hiccup knew they'd have to be leaving soon so he busied himself with cleaning up the cave, hoping Astrid wasn't going to far, the wild dragons left this area alone after Toothless had fought off a particularly nasty Nightmare when they'd first found the island, but beyond the clearing and hot springs they didn't take kindly to being bothered.

Just when he was starting to get ready to go looking for her, he spotted her returning with Stormfly in tow, water had been splashed on her face, and her braid had been redone and she had a straight face on that gave no indication that she had thought about her punch/kiss a from before. She came right up to Toothless and scratched his neck, receiving a happy warble from the ebony reptile, "So, how far are we going today?" she asked in a slightly forced cheerful voice. Hiccup could tell she was trying to distract herself, her body language practically screamed that she had mixed feeling standing so close to him while he tightened a few straps to secure his bedroll and the pot he used to make the stew last night. The butterflies in his stomach returned again and he figured he should help her get her mind off of what happened, he had no idea kissing him was so disturbing to her.

"I have some business I need to take care of tonight in a village that's on the way, so we'll make camp just outside of it which should take us around sun set to reach, maybe a little sooner if we push it, but there's no need for us to do that." He said and gave her a friendly smile which Astrid returned genuinely, the awkwardness fading away and leaving the two with their budding friendship intact. Astrid felt her body relax when he smiled, the tension from her body's mutiny was gone and they could just go back to being friends again, she was glad he agreed to let her come along on the trip even though he made it clear it that he wasn't in favor of it. She was also surprised at how quickly she had become attached to her Nadder, after the whole kiss incident she'd found a river just past the hot springs and was washing her face when a Gronckle landed for a drink, and started growling at her. Stormfly had placed herself between the two and fired a few spikes to chase the wild dragon off before nuzzling the blonde Viking affectionately. Astrid had hugged her in thanks, all the while wondering how no one had noticed this side of dragons before a scrawny boy, who was known for causing as much if not more damage than the dragons used to with his crazy inventions, had managed to shot down a Night Fury.

Once in the air the two young adults fell back into silence, however this time was slightly more comfortable as Astrid caught herself talking to Stormfly occasionally who would chirp and squawk in response as if she understood perfectly what was being said to her. The young shield maiden found herself also stealing glances at Hiccupwhile they rode, and a few times realized she was outright staring at him, only to pass it off as keeping track of him when he turned to check on her. Hoping whatever has her acting so weird around him lately would wear off soon, probably just the excitement of riding a dragon, yeah that had to be it, and they could be actual friends like they had in childhood rose in her mind while her core became heated when that small portion of her brain kept replaying the kiss on his cheek that morning.

*Rome

A soldier came running into the officer's quarters, his bronze armor clanging with his movements as he saluted his superior and waited to be addressed. The officer didn't speak, but turned to face the man under his command with a hard expectant look. The soldier stiffened under his gaze and held out a rolled up parchment with the emperor's seal on it, taking it from him the officer broke the seal and unrolled it reading the orders he was being given. The emperor had been assigning him to various medial tasks to 'keep the peace' and he'd been losing his patience waiting for the task he truly wanted, capturing the only prisoner who had escaped him: the dragon rider.

"Commander, will we be returning to the capital?" the soldier asked, he was a fresh recruit in the officer's ranks and was unfamiliar with the man's ruthlessness when it came to his enemies and insubordination. He learned quickly when the officer's fist collided with his face, rendering him lying of the ground with a profusely bleeding nose.

"You will receive your orders with the rest of the men." The officer began, unsheathing one of the two Gladius swords from its scabbard on his back and holding the point to the younger man's throat, "Is that understood?" he asked with a snarl, causing the subordinate soldier to nod carefully. The sword was placed back in its sheath and motioned for him to stand, not even bothering to hide the look of disgust on his face. "Go and gather the men, we will be leaving at first light tomorrow." The officer waited until he heard the door to his quarters close before unrolling the parchment again and allowing a nasty smirk make it's way on his face, the assignment he'd been waiting of had finally arrived.

_Return to the capital for supplies, you are then to set sail into the Archipelago and seek out the escaped prisoner known only as the dragon conqueror and return him for questioning to build a roman fleet of dragons. _

_Glory to the empire._

The orders were short, that meant rules of engagement rested in his hands. There was also a note that one of their spies in the Viking clan known as the Berserkers, the rider had intervened in one of the clan's attacks on another village called Berk and done battle with the Berserker chief, coming out victorious. That gave them a starting point for their hunt, it would take them just over a month to reach the villages coordinates not including the stops they'll have to make to refresh supplies and any repairs that may be needed after entering dragon and Viking territory, but he would risk the entire roman naval armada for a chance to regain his feared position in the empire. The boy and his dragon would be captured and this time he would get the answers of conquering dragons, or his name wasn't George Atticus, commander of the sixth fleet, fear duelist, and future ruler of dragons.

*Viking village, edge of the Archipelago

Hiccup and Astrid landed in the forest just outside the village a few minutes before sun down, after dismounting their dragons Hiccup went to check and make sure that no one from the village would be stumbling onto their camp while Astrid waited with Toothless and Stormfly incase someone came from the other direction. After a half hour Hiccup returned, stating it was clear as there was some form of celebration in the villages mean hall and the entire population was attending, and given how Vikings tended to party they would be safe in their camp till the next morning if they stayed that long after Hiccups business was taken care of. Not wanting to alert the villagers to their presence just yet Hiccup suggested they just resign themselves to fish for the night, offering to make another stew if Astrid liked, which she happily accepted, the boy could make some good stew. They hadn't spoken much since that morning other than Astrid asking for tips for flying or caring for Stormfly, all of which Hiccup answered with the same lopsided smile that made her core warm in that unfamiliar yet welcomed way that would rise whenever she thought about the peck she'd given him that morning.

"Hey Hiccup; I thought you had some stuff you had to deal with here. Are we just going to wait until the people here are recovered enough from their celebration before it taken care of?" She asked after finishing what was left of her stew before picking up the fish she had taken along with it. Hiccup nodded silently after a minute, he'd been distracted ever since they had landed and barely spoke at all, and refusing out right to tell her what exactly he had to do here. Astrid had asked him a few times but he just kept shaking his head, it was starting to get on her nerves that he was polite and open about some of his travels and adventures but secretive about the rest, he'd never been good about keeping secrets before, the best one she had memory of was Toothless, and even then she'd found him out, much to her regret as it returned again. Had she even apologized for that?

She hadn't even realized she had laid back on her bedroll and closed her eyes as she replayed the last few weeks in her mind trying to remember if she had told him how sorry she was or not, she could only think of the things she'd told him when he was under the disguise of Ryder, but she refused to allow those to suffice she need to apologize to _Hiccup_, not some person he made up so he could walk around Berk without being attacked by the people there. She combed over the two weeks they trained in his camp replaying every conversation they'd had, only a handful of them not being about what he was teaching her that day or a relatively safe adventure he'd been on with Toothless, but never about the night she'd found him and his dragon before turning him over to his father. Astrid needed to make amends for that and then apologize for taking so long, as soon as her irritation about his refusal to talk about his 'business' with this village had passed. She must have been quiet for some time, she'd lost track of how long she had been lying there thinking about it, because she suddenly heard him sigh and stand.

Slightly opening one eye she saw him standing next to Toothless and muttering to the Night Fury who gave him a worried look, when had she started recognizing emotions on dragon's faces? Hiccup moved to one of the pouched still on Toothless' saddle and dug around in it before pulling out two black metal objects and placing them over his wrists. Pretending to move in her 'sleep' to get more comfortable, Astrid kept one eye on the dragon rider and inspected the objects, they looked like wrist guards, but were far too small, only covering the wrist and a point over the back of his hand. She managed to make out small light blue cylinders under the guard that seemed to glow, but didn't know what they could be for, Hiccup also took out more of the blue cylinders which were held on two lines and stuffed them into smaller pouches that hooked into the back of his belt and rested just below the small of his back. Astrid looked at them and definitely not at the man's backside, which she also didn't notice was rather firm now, she did not notice that at all. Toothless gave another worried groan softly, as he likely thought she was asleep as well.

"Don't worry Bud, I'll be fine." He said as he glanced at her, the fire hitting her face cast a shadow over the eye she had peaked open, so he couldn't see her watching him, "I'll go take care of this now while she's asleep and in the morning we'll tell her it was a waste of time. I don't like that she's going to find out about the others when we get there but we can spare her the truth for a few more days." There was a caring tone in his voice as he said all this and the sadden look on his face in the fire light told her he was being sincere even though he wasn't talking to her, but then again why would he lie to his dragon? He rubbed Toothless' head for a few minutes before looking up, likely studying the position of the moon, "Alright, the party should be well under way by now, I've got to go. You get some rest buddy and with luck I'll be back in a couple hours." With that he turned and headed straight for the village.

Astrid waited for a few minutes, letting Toothless settle down and curl to sleep on his freshly burned bed, before making sure Stormfly was already snoozing happily behind her before stealthily getting up and heading after Hiccup. He was hiding something and even if he thought it was in her best interest to keep her in the dark, she wanted to know, and since he wouldn't tell her she'd find out for herself. She spotted him entering the village when she reached the edge of the forest, she could already hear loud music coming form the Meade hall that was unlike anything on Berk, but she pressed on behind Hiccup, making sure to keep him within eyesight but herself out of earshot of him. He'd caught her following him twice, once by herself, however he seemed distracted this time and the loud strange music from the Meade hall was probably as distracting for Hiccup as it was for her. Astrid let out a groan when she saw Hiccup start up the stairs and head into the hall, knowing she'd have to follow and deal with drunken idiots. It was something she was accustomed to, but never enjoyed, and now Hiccup was likely slinking off to get himself drunk before dealing with he 'business' here. The blonde thought about just giving up and returning to camp to turn in for the night, but the Night Fury's worried groan and what Hiccup had said rang through her mind once more. Taking a deep breath she started towards the steps intent on finding the truth, hoping she wasn't risking her life back on Berk for Hiccup to meet foreign drinking buddies.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Astrid walked into the Hall minutes after Hiccup had, but the hall was packed full of people and he was nowhere in sight. She looked around for several minutes but kept getting bumped into by drunken bastards who were either dancing or trying to hit on her, she finally spotted a bar and started for it, with any luck Hiccup had been by to either get a drink and the bar keep could point her in his direction. The bar itself was relatively void of life, the keep behind it cleaning a tankard while only four people stood at it, two men who were talking heatedly and twin girls around Astrid's age, both wearing ridiculously short dresses. Upon closer inspection the girls were actually wearing deadly outfits disguised as dresses, the girl in red had gloves with Monstrous Nightmare talons sticking out over her hands that could be used to claw or gouge anyone who crosses her while her twin sister wore a white dress with high heels that had large dragon teeth, probably also a Nightmare's, on the back, leaving anyone she might kick with lacerations or worse. One of the men left, he was wearing full armor and Astrid caught a glimpse of the Outcast insignia on his belt as he walked towards the entrance, what was an Outcast doing on this island?

Astrid leaned over the bar and ordered herself a tankard of ale and turned around to scan the crowd for any sign of Hiccup, wishing there were more torches closer to the floor, most were up near the top of the walls so the hall was lit enough to see but still dark enough for people to bathed in half darkness. She just focused harder trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar black and brown leather armor Hiccup was almost always wearing. Noticing that the man still at the bar dismissing the twin girls away before starting towards her with a smug look on his face, Astrid turned back to grab her drink and ignore him until he passed her, unfortunately he was more or less sober, and eyeing her much like Snotlout.

"Hey there Blondie, name's Jungor." He started with a smirk that surely won him many adoring girls over the years, fortunately for Astrid, smiles and a muscled body doesn't really win her affection as Snotlout can attest yet refuses to accept. "I can find pretty much anything or anyone here you might want." He continued trying to impress her with his apparent influence while his eyes quite obviously slide down her body, not even trying to hide the ideas he was getting judging by the slimy smirk and slight cloud of lust in his eyes. Astrid may not have been interested in what the man had to say normally, but that last part caught her attention, he might know where Hiccup is if he has been here before. She smiled sweetly, much to her stomach's protest considering man was handsome yet not as good looking as some, Hiccup's face flashed momentarily in her mind for some reason, and ran a finger down his arm before grabbing it and twisting.

"You say you can find anyone, well I'm looking for a guy about my age, slightly taller with auburn hair wearing black and brown leather armor with green leggings underneath, and don't call me Blondie, you can call me… sir." She said forcefully giving his twisted arm a squeeze when she said the last part to emphasize she was serious, "Tell me where I can find him and I'll be on my way."

"Look blond- gahh!" She cut him off with another twist to his forearm, bring forth a gasp of pain from him and a smirk from her, "Look I've never seen a guy like that, SIR!" He added the last part with a slightest of pressure being added to his arm. Several men came running up to where Astrid and Jungor were still standing next to the bar, she noted several were carrying axes with only a single blade instead of two like her double-bladed axe. The one she'd left on Stormfly's saddle back in the camp. Mentally swearing at her carelessness, she growled at the man in front of her, Hiccup had left his sword at the camp too, leaving it in Toothless's saddle pouch before putting on those strange wrist guard/cuffs he had, so she hadn't thought to bring her weapon with her. "Look blondi- sir, I'll put the word out to find him, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you want to make it out of here in one piece you should let me go, NOW!"

Astrid remembered she still had the idiot Jungor in her vice grip and with the armed men around her she didn't see another option and released the older man who grabbed his arm carefully. She had enough of being near this idiot as it was, turning around and downing her ale before trying to leave, sadly the men with axes where still blocking her way. "You know my men here don't take kindly to me being harassed like that." He said while rubbing his arm but still coming around to stand in front of her, "They'll probably kill you just on principal regardless of how pretty you are. But I might be able to call them off if you were to say… kiss and make up with me." He had clearly done this before. Astrid took a quick account of the men she could see without turning her head, she counted at least fifteen and there were likely just as many if not more at her sides and behind her except for the bar which she was still close to. The blonde Viking hated the feeling of being trapped and she was definitely trapped right now, clutching her fists as she looked at the ever growing smirk on Jungor's face and gave a single nod. Deciding to get it over with as fast as possible to make it quick she leaned curtly and squeezed her eyes tight waiting for it to be over, she could hear him take a few steps to close the small distance and the snickers from some of his men as he undoubtedly leaned in for his 'prize'.

A loud thwack and a crash was heard before he could actually collect his kiss and Astrid snapped her eyes open to see him nearly ten feet away on his ass, dizzy from whatever sent him flying before the tab of a keg fell on his head and began dosing him in ale. Looking to her right she found Hiccup with his fist still hanging where it had made contact with Jungor's jaw, the men surrounding them raised their axes to get ready to attack, and Hiccup moved into a defensive melee position. Astrid noticed the cuffs on his wrist now extending with the sounds of springs and turning gears to form full metal wrist guards that covered his entire forearm and matched his leather armor, he cocked one arm back, one of the cylinders popping out and bouncing to the ground blackened and open at one end. He glanced at her and nodded his head to the side, indicating her to move back to the bar and she did as requested, keeping an eye on him would be easier as the drunken villagers were pouring out of the hall after one of their people was sent flying by a stranger.

The men rushed Hiccup the moment she was out of the way, Astrid forgotten after he had sent their boss on a miniature flight. Just when they were within distance to slash at him with their axes Hiccup jumped, higher than Astrid thought possible, causing her to snap her head up to see him hanging in the air for a brief moment. As he started to come back down he threw another punch, bringing himself down faster and smashing in the ground where he had been moments before, blue flames spreading in a circle and sending the men who had charged forwards careening back. Astrid's jaws dropped as Hiccup stood up, now surrounded by a fire that came up to his knees yet he didn't even bat an eye at it, instead he rushed towards one of the men who was still standing with his axe just as dumbfounded as she was. Hiccup jumped towards the man with a flip and brought his right leg down on his head before turning around and ducking to bring both fists up at the two behind him now, blue flame bursting out as they made contact with them. Using his momentum, Hiccup landed kicks to a couple more of the identically dressed men, the ones having been knocked down by his surprise floor blast wave now starting to rush him again.

Hiccup clearly had his surroundings memorized, and threw his fist with another burst of blue fire erupting from it sending men flying away only to follow it up with jumping and kicking the ones who were still coming and firing more fire at ones out of reach. Astrid was simply stunned by what she was seeing, the strange now gauntlets on him arms were shooing fire as if they were tiny dragons and Hiccup was displaying a level of combat he had never shown, even in his duel with Dagur. She was trying to recover from the shock but it just kept rolling back every time she remembered he was fighting thirty-five men with axes and hammers with some strange fire spitting gauntlets and wasn't taking so much as a hit. She was also surprised at how efficiently he melded the weapons on his arms to his fighting style, which had changed from the graceful and fluid one he'd been teaching her to more of a brawling style with strong kicks, she caught this when he fired again and let it send him back into another guy landing his elbow on the man's gut.

A few more men were coming in now, wielding swords which Hiccup deflected with the guards like small shields, they didn't even show a scratch as he blocked then retaliated with more blue blasts of flame. A few arrows hit the ground not to far from where Hiccup was standing and both he and Astrid looked to where the band had been minutes ago to find three men armed with bows notching more arrows to fire again. Hiccup moved with a nearly head spinning speed using his gauntlets to launch himself up to the raised stage they were on before kicking the two on the sides off and picking the one in the middle using the gauntlets to blast him off. The man landed at the heels of the twin in the red dress as her sister walked up to join her

"Melody, who is this guy?" The girl in red asked.

"I dunno Milshiv, but we should teach him a lesson." The one in white replied. Hiccup put his arms down on his sides and turned them so his palms would have been facing the girls if they weren't clenched fists at the moment. There was a popping noise as all the cylinders that were in them dropped to the ground, blackened and open like the first one still near Astrid, Hiccup then reach behind him to pull out the two he had packed in the camp; tossing them in the air before slapping his metal weapons against them, locking the new lines of blue fire into place. Not even bothering with a retort he jumped off the stage and sent four rounds of blue flame flying for the girls, who quickly evaded the blasts by flipping back before charging towards Hiccup. The one in red, Mishiv, reached him first taking a few swipes with the talons on her gloves, confirming Astrid's suspicions about their dresses being used only as distractions; Melody, the sister in white, followed the attack with one of her own, jumping over her twin and bringing the back of her heels down to try and slash Hiccup only to be blocked at the last second.

The pair kept up their assault, attacking in tandem one after the other with barely enough time for Hiccup to deflect despite his quick reactions. Finally they got lucky, Melody tried to sweep his leg out from under him while Milshiv attempted to bring her claws down on him which he managed to block, only for the white dressed twin to immediately pivot on her arm to deliver two swift kicks that finally managed to knock the auburn haired boy rolling a few feet back. Astrid grabbed the nearest weapon; an axe dropped by one of the many unconscious goons working for Jungor, and headed for the twin girls at the same time as Hiccup recovered from his roll and used another blast to rocket him towards the two, landing a solid punch on the white dressed Melody who hit a nearby pillar. Hiccup turned his attention to Milshiv having finally separated the two and went on the offensive, throwing a furry of punches but holding the fire back for the moment, Astrid saw him go for her face and stop inches from it and when her hands came up to block his other fist came up and met her stomach and lifting her off the ground just enough for him to use another fire blast to send her flying towards Astrid with a shout of surprise.

Astrid raised her newly acquired axe to catch Milshiv's attention, Hiccup having reengaged the other twin after she recovered from hitting the wooden pillar. The blonde Viking could tell the ebony hair twins relied upon each other in combat based on how quickly the tide changed once Hiccup had separated them and took the first swing which was blocked but not deflected, leading to them holding their weapons crossed, trying to overpower one another. Astrid could see just over the other girls shoulder where Hiccup and the twin Melody were in some form of dance/combat as she tried to fake him out by lifting a leg before trying to attack with the other only for him to raise the correct gauntlet to block her. Milshiv started to let up, she was going to pull away and attack, but Astrid twirled the axe and caught the talons forcing the girl down on one knee, avoiding the blade only by an inch. Astrid momentarily forgot that she was wielding a single bladed axe and swung back the way she came, promptly whacking the girl upside the head with the pommel and knocking her out. With the immediate threat to herself dealt with and reduced for her companion, she turned her attention back to him as Melody had stepped up her attacks jumping and spinning in desperate attempts to cut him down without success.

After blocking a few more kicks form her left leg, Hiccup twisted on his prosthetic and elbowed Melody in her midsection, knocking off her balance. Taking advantage he grabbed the girl's arm and spun her around like a dance partner, which sparked an envious feeling in Astrid for some reason, before jumping up and spinning like she had a moment before to bring his good foot down on the crown of her head, the girl dropped like a sack of rocks. Astrid was suddenly brought back to reality and remembered Hiccup was working with an artificial foot, yet he almost single handedly fought off a group equal to a quarter of Berk's warriors only taking a few hits, and did so in such form that it seemed he wasn't missing any limbs at all. His fighting style while strange seemed to work to his advantage in every way to the point that Astrid thought he could beat his father using it and her mind didn't find it utterly ridiculous. Never taking her eye off him she suddenly found herself hoping that he would teach her everything he'd learned and that it would take a lifetime so he couldn't leave again, why was she suddenly so concerned about when he was going to leave? Hiccup looked around as if he was trying to find something or someone, Astrid cocked an eyebrow and was about to ask him what it was when he dropped into a defensive stance once again. Following his gaze she spotted Jungor, wielding a large club and holding leather strips that were going up, following them revealed he had seven Terrible Terrors strapped in some form of harness.

"You're gonna pay for this." Was all Jungor said while Hiccup set himself, ready to move at a moments notice just as Jungor gave the harness a hard yank. The Terrors fired at Hiccup who managed to flip back just in time and recovered in time for Jungor to repeat the motion causing the tiny dragons to fire again. This time however, Hiccup fired his own blasts, meeting the Terror's shots and causing them to explode between the two men, seeing an opening Jungor dropped the harness, allowing the Terrors to fly away, and rushed Hiccup swinging his club down only for Hiccup to block twice, the third strike came down harder than the first two and a groan was brought forth from Hiccup as he staggered back. Before he could fully recover Jungor swung upwards and knocked Hiccup back, breaking a table as he landed on it. Thinking the younger man was finished Jungor smirked to himself, having forgotten Astrid was present, her grip on the axe tightened and she was about to hurl it when Hiccup stood up, seemingly unhurt or at least unfazed, and smirked back at the bigger man in front of him with a chuckle before slamming his fists together causing two fire blasts to meet and rippled outward then dashing towards Jungor. Hiccup ducked under the swing of his club before bringing up a fist followed by another to his abdomen, fire pluming out with each hit as Hiccup struck faster and faster until his right foot stomped in place and he directed a final fist at Jungor's head.

The blast was brighter than the others had been and Jungor flew back once more and landed a good ten feet from Astrid. He managed to roll to his feet, instantly recovering only to find his club was broken and on fire, pulling a hidden dagger out of his boot and pointing it towards Astrid after noticing her in some form of veiled threat in hopes to shake Hiccup off. Hiccup's eyes darted to her then back to the man holding the dagger and Astrid swore she saw his eyes turn red with hate, realizing he made the wrong call, Jungor dropped the blade, but it was too late. Hiccup growled and threw his fists back, letting out a blast of flame from each gauntlet, setting several tables and a couple of pillars aflame before moving with a speed Astrid could barely comprehend. An angry shout tore from his lips as he leapt at Jungor, practically flying for a brief second before a loud final punch found its mark on Jungor's nose, breaking it and sending the man hurtling back with such force the stone wall cracked from the impact.

Astrid stared at Hiccup both amazed and slightly frightened; she had never seen that in him before. Anger had flashed across his face plenty of times when they spoke about the past, whether about his banishment from Berk or his encounters with Outcasts and Berserkers, but the look Hiccup had when Jungor pointed that blade at her, regardless of how feeble the threat was given the distance between them at the time had triggered hate in Hiccup, probably for the first time in his life. Kneeling down, Hiccup scooped up the dagger off the ground where it had been dropped before making his way over to Jungor's prone form. The man was somehow still conscious and upon seeing Hiccup approach him had the sense to be afraid of the slim man, had he anywhere to go he might have tried to run, however he was still slumped against the wall he had been blasted into.

Hiccup stopped in front of him and lifted Jungor by his shirt and held him against the wall, "The next time the brotherhood requests information from you, I suggest not trying to double-cross them. You'll live longer. Just remember I went easy on you." With that said the auburn haired young man released Jungor, who slid back to the ground, and pulled out a piece of parchment and stabbed it against the wall. Turning around, green eyes met blue for the first time since he had intervened and prevented Astrid from being forced to kiss Jungor, Hiccup's eyes softened and he walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading her out of the hall in a kind manner that she could only describe as being Hiccup.

They walked for several minutes through the village which was now scurrying about, getting pails of water to put out the Meade hall which was still burning. It wasn't until they reached the slight incline leading into the forest where their camp was when Astrid noticed Hiccup was limping on his prosthetic, the higher up the incline they went the more she could feel him start to buckle and shift weight onto his good leg. She stayed silent for the trek back to camp, replaying the entire scene from the hall in her head, she figured his prosthetic must have come loose or bent during one of the times he used it to kick someone and with the adrenaline wearing off it was affecting his walking ability. Looking at him gave no indication anything was wrong, his face held that same kind look it had when he lead her out, and his arm was still around her shoulder with, but no in a way where he was using her as a crutch, Astrid smiled softly realizing he still had a viking's stubbornness despite not considering himself one. They reached the camp where the dragons were both still sound asleep and she helped him lean against Toothless before he spoke.

"You shouldn't have followed me Astrid, that guy isn't your typical scumbag." He said as he twisted his peg leg to remove it and reached inside a bag on Toothless' saddle for a tool. "I know you're curious as to where we're going and who I'm meeting with, but these guys are not the kind of people you want to irritate. Just look at what they asked me to do to an information dealer who tried to cross them." Astrid remembered what Hiccup had said to Jungor before they left and sat next to him.

"If they're as dangerous as you say then why are you going to meet them willingly?" She asked tiredly, she knew she should be getting to sleep, but in this moment the only thing that matter was getting the truth from Hiccup about what just happened.

"Because they saved me." He said plainly, "They taught me a lot of what I know today and some of what I've showed you. They are good people; it's just the things they do that caused me to part ways with them. They understood then and their summons says they still do, so I know it's important to see why my friends are suddenly asking me to come back."

"Who are they?"

Hiccup expected the question, he had a story already set up so she wouldn't know the truth about the group and he could allow Toothless to keep her away from them until whatever business they had with him was done. But in that moment when she looked at him and her eyes lit up in the moonlight, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her.

"They're assassins Astrid. They saved me when I was hurt and nearly dead, they nursed me back to health and taught me skills to stay alive and treated me like family." His voice shook slightly when he spoke and Astrid could tell that he was speaking the truth, while he had purposely not told her details about his adventures, he had never lied to her once about them. She smiled and nodded, accepting his explanation, she wanted to get up and return to her bedroll now that she had the big question out of the way the rest could wait until morning, but her body suddenly became heavy. She settled for resting her head on his shoulder, the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was his arm wrapping around her once more.

**This chapter was heavily inspired/influenced/stolen from the yellow trailer for the web series RWBY, if you've seen it you already know that, if you haven't check it out. **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Toothless awoke with the familiar weight of Hiccup leaning on his side, he had done this many times in the past and the dragon never minded. Toothless was about to settle back down when he felt movement and realized the weight leaning against him was more than just Hiccup, looking back as best as he could without waking the sleeping teens the Night Fury found the blonde female known as Astrid also resting against him, leaning slightly on Hiccup with her head on his shoulder. Despite their issues in the past Toothless has grown fond of the girl and is happy hic rider has someone he cares about around, while they enjoy each other's constant company, the ebony dragon knows his boy could use more interaction with other humans. The blonde girl is the first he's spent more than a few days with since they parted with the group of people they are currently travelling towards and Toothless recognizes the familiar smell of pheromones emanating from both of the young ones, Hiccup has been on the receiving end of feminine attraction before and came close to returning the affections of a girl they'd met a year after leaving his village. Astrid acted differently then the other females they'd encountered, but both Toothless and Stormfly could smell the hormones the girl seems oblivious to, Hiccup on the other hand tried to ignore his, it was the first time Toothless could smell them this strongly in all their time together. The Night Fury let out a quiet huff, hoping the pair would figure it out and mate soon, otherwise he and Stormfly would have to put up with the overly strong stench of sexual desire until they did.

Astrid stirred first, her neck hurt slightly, but otherwise she felt like she'd slept better than she had in years. Looking up and seeing Hiccup still sleeping quietly against Toothless with his head tilted back brought a small smile to her face. The memories of the previous night filtered into her mind as his continued to slumber, his arm still resting around her shoulder, which she currently had no intention of moving, as she remembered who he was on his way to meet with. She was glad he had people looking out for him, Toothless clearly loved the boy and would do anything to protect him, but somehow she felt more at ease knowing actual people had his back at some point.

Hiccup's eyes flittered open not long after, he tilted his neck to each side making it crack from the position it had been in since he fell asleep, clearly he'd fallen asleep like this many times before. He froze mid-yawn when he realized his right arm was resting on something and at his side, turning his head and finding Astrid there caused him to jump slightly and remove his arm from around her, much to her disappointment but she didn't let it show. She decided not to address it right now, seeing the red rise on his cheeks might cause the same reaction in her if she tries to talk about the fact that they've now cuddled twice, no matter how innocent either time had been. Hiccup picked up his prosthetic and the tool he'd had the previous night and resumed the work he had been doing, Astrid was pleased to note the leg wasn't bent or broken in anyway just needed some tightening where the foot met the shin area.

"Sorry about that Astrid, didn't realize how exhausted I was after what happened in their hall…" he trailed off as he suddenly became far more interested in his metal foot than he needed. After a moment of silence he finished whatever repairs he was doing and reattached the artificial before removing the gauntlets, which had now returned to looking like cuffs, from his wrists and rubbing the areas underneath. Astrid rose from her spot next to him and made her way to Stormfly who was preening the scales under her wings, wondering what exactly they were and how to word the question so she didn't sound stupid or nosey, since when did she care so much about what _Hiccup _thought of her? She fiddled with her dragon's saddle in an attempt to distract her mind before he sighed and spoke again, "I'm sure you have more questions about last night, the fight and what I told you afterwards… I won't lie to you, but I can't promise you'll like the answers I'll give you."

Astrid smiled, even with all the anger he harbored towards Berk and her specifically he was still genuinely kind. "How about starting with the things you were wearing around your wrists and why we had to stop here in the first place?" She offered kindly, he chuckled as Toothless started a morning fire while he retrieved a few fish out of the basket on the basket on the dragon's side. Turning around and leaning on Stormfly, who had giving up her preening for now in favor of nuzzling Astird's side for attention and chirping happily as she got it, the blonde waited for him to answer as he made a quick breakfast for them. The dragons went off to find fish on their own afterwards and Hiccup explained the guards he used the previous night as being Dragon Cuffs, something he designed for situations where a dragon would be useful but couldn't be present for one reason or another, he handed he one and she noticed a small metal tube in the center of the part that points out over the hand which was made to resemble Toothless' head shape. Hiccup told her how he had worked for months to perfect a way to hold the Night Fury's plasma so it could be fired from what he called 'shells', and like any dragon it has a limited number of shots which is the number of shells, which would have to be replaced after being used.

"…As to why we stopped here in the first place. Like I said he sold the brotherhood false information which almost got one of them killed, they needed to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid like that again and they figured I should do it since he's been dipping into the dragon and sex slaving businesses." His hand balled into a tight fist when he mentioned the sex slave part, "That's what he was about to do with you when I found him with you, had he kissed you one of his men would've knocked you out and carried you off to be their new 'product'." He slammed the ground to disperse some anger that seeped in at the thought of Astrid being forced into that. "I wanted to kill him for that, even more when he drew that dagger. I know you were out of reach, but it still pushed me to the limits of my self control. I don't like it when people threaten my friends."

"So we are friends then?"

Hiccup's face turned beat red, he hadn't meant to say that. He did consider Astrid a friend now, after two weeks of living together it was bound to happen, despite the reasons why she was staying with them to begin with. He knew getting attached to anyone from any village spelt disaster, making it harder to leave that place while simultaneously making them a target, and the fact that it was someone from Berk, _Astrid_ of all people too made it all the more complicated. He nodded all the same, he wasn't going to lie to her now, but he didn't trust his mouth not to say something else that would make leaving Berk and Astrid for good more difficult. Her smile was both welcomed and dreaded at the same time as he knew it would simply draw him to her even more, shaking his head he forced himself to focus on cleaning up the campsite so no one would realize they'd been there.

When the dragons returned Astrid still hadn't asked any other questions, but she had more, she had to have more. Who wouldn't after having learned someone they kind of knew once five years previously was now affiliated with assassins and rode a dragon? "How did you meet the… brotherhood was it?" The question while expected was still weighted more than Hiccup was ready for, he couldn't tell her how he met the brotherhood without mentioning his stay in a roman interrogation room, he weighed his options and knew in the end she'd keep prodding until she got the truth, but she didn't need the entire truth.

"I had been held prisoner by the Romans for a little while, Toothless and I were separated. He managed to track me down eventually and free me, but I was pretty beat up at the time. While he was carrying me out we ran into the girl you met at the cove; Shado and the grand master of the brotherhood, they were impressed to see a dragon carrying me on its back and somehow convinced him to follow them." Hiccup took a deep breath; he hoped she wouldn't ask why or how he got 'beat up' seeing how the Romans treatment of their prisoners was no secret. "I'm fairly certain they found a way to tell him they could fix me up and when I woke we were in their base of operations." Astrid looked at him with wide eyes, she clearly knew about the Romans kept criminals in prison, but thankfully she didn't prod further. Hiccup closed his eyes as he remembered that day all too well.

*Two years earlier, Roman prison interrogation room

Hiccup shouted hoarsely as the roman officer drug his sword across the underside of his ribs again, it had been like this for the last three weeks, the officer would come in and use the same 'interrogation method' for a few days and then come up with a new one. He'd been dragging sword across Hiccup's body for about three days now, tomorrow would bee something new, Hiccup almost wished he would go back to using the cat o' nine tails again, at least that was quick unlike the agonizingly slow slicing of the steel finishing its freshest cut. Over the course of his 'internment' as the Roman liked to call it, he'd been asked the same question every day for hours: "how did you manage to gain control of a dragon?" the officer asked again with a dark smile, he was enjoying this far too much even though he was clearly frustrated with the lack of results.

Taking deep breaths and swallowing some spit to wet his dry throat, Hiccup returned the smile with his lopsided grin, "Well I haven't met your mother so I have no idea what you're talking about good sir." The air left his lungs again when the large mans fist met his stomach, somehow he was still giving back smartass remarks when they asked, when he could muster the strength to talk at least. The healer who had been charged with keeping him alive stood in the corner, she seemed like a nice woman, they'd even had a few civil conversations after the officer was finished questioning him over the past week, he knew she hated the sight of what was being done to him, she hated seeing people in any kind of pain, its what drove her to become a healer. Hiccup had considered asking for her help to escape but he had quickly dashed that thought, he wouldn't ask a stranger to risk their life for his, he couldn't ask that. The officer repeated his question, harder this time without the smile; his frustration was winning out over his joy of torturing the younger man. Hiccup just smiled again, "It's easy, you just take your sword and thrust it through you chest and the dragon jumps out of the wound to be you're puppet." He managed his first laugh in over a week, only for the sword to be brought below his next rib and drug across slowly again, bringing forth another pained shout from him.

Before the officer could ask him again, a soldier burst through the door with a look of panic on his face. "Commander Atticus, sir! We have a situation in the courtyard!" The soldier shouted as an explosion sounded outside. The officer scowled and sheathed the sword along with its twin companion on his back and followed the man out of the room, leaving Hiccup chained to the wall and the healer to begin cleaning him up. A few minutes later shouts began to get louder, whatever the situation was outside it was going poorly for the men guarding the prison, however Hiccup's Roman was poor at best and he only understood a few things being shouted by the soldiers. The healer finished wrapping bandages around his newest wounds when he spoke, thankful to her teaching him as much of the language as she had in the short time they'd been speaking.

"You should get somewhere safe, sounds like whatever is going on out there isn't ending well for them." He urged her, she had been kind to him and he didn't wish to see her injured or worse, killed. The shouts grew ever louder as the situation seemed to be moving further inside the prison and another explosion could be heard not far away. She merely shook her head Hiccup knew she was loyal to the Roman Empire, but he still felt the need to try and help her, she had a husband and young daughter waiting for her to return home and he refused to be the reason a child didn't have a mother after today. "You need to think of your husband and little girl. I'll be fine, the cuts aren't too deep and I might be able to distract however is attacking for a bit, you know by now I have a knack for pissing people off by talking." He smiled when her hands fell from tightening the bandage, "Go, I'll either be fine or I'll die knowing I helped a little girl see her mother."

She finally nodded and grabbed the key off the table where her medical supplies, his leg, and Commander Atticus' 'tools' lay, turning around she placed the key in his hands. Hiccup's eyes widened as he knew he could use this to escape, but if he did then she would be the first suspect and killed for aiding an enemy of the Empire. He stood their silently watching as she headed to the door, only for another explosion to go off right outside it, pushing the door open from the force. Luckily the healer was unharmed and as the smoke cleared a large green eye looked into the room. "Toothless?" Hiccup asked, his voice becoming hoarse again from the smoke and torture he'd gone through that day. The ebony dragon gave a soft roar of joy and forced his way in the room, ignoring the woman pressed against the wall while he nuzzled his head against his riders upon seeing the cuts on his chest.

The healer let out a gasp at the action and Toothless' eyes narrowed into silts, ready to defend his friend. "No no no, Toothless its ok, she was helping me. See the bandages? She's ok." The Night Fury looked from the healer back to his shirtless rider, and gave a soft warble. Hiccup looked at the woman and jerked his head towards the door and she fled without argument, "Alright Bud, think you can blast these chains and grab my leg off the table over there?" Toothless obliged him happily, shooting two small bursts of fire at the chains near the wall to avoid burning him and retrieving his metal appendage while Hiccup slumped to the floor.

Breathing was becoming harder as Hiccup took his prosthetic from Toothless and inserted in into the locking mechanism sear into his leg, twisting to lock it in place and forcing himself up. Toothless made to follow him, but He quickly collapsed under his own weight, he'd been given just enough food and water to survive and coupled with what was being done to him everyday he was understandable weak. The dragon helped him back up before pushing his head between his legs and letting the boy slide back onto the saddle, they wouldn't be flying out as Hiccup was barely conscious enough to hook his leg into the stirrup. Toothless ran back the way he came, passing several injured or dead Romans along the way a few of the breathing ones either cowered at the sight of the dragon or tried to lift their weapon without success. Hiccup eve managed to spot the officer, Commander Atticus, lying along the wall, his swords on either side of him with blood trickling down the side of his head, Hiccup sincerely hoped he was dead, but saw the rise and fall of breathing in his shoulders.

Just as the pair turned a corner leading out, they inadvertently cut off another couple, both in hoods and carrying several daggers. Hiccup's vision was beginning to blur, but he could make out that they were an older man and a girl about his age, probably a year or two older with blood on her hand, but not bleeding. The man looked at him then at Toothless who was growling in case they became hostile, he held a hand up to try and show they meant no harm and pointed to Hiccup, his mouth was moving, but he couldn't understand what was being said as his vision went black and he fell back on Toothless' saddle, passing out.

When Hiccup woke he was surprised to find himself on a bed, and not chained to a wall as he had the past three weeks. His body was still weak as the memories slowly came back, Toothless had saved him; he fought his way through the prison and got Hiccup out before he'd lost consciousness. He felt a small huff of warm air from his side and found the dragon in question sitting beside him with wide eyes, licking his rider upon seeing he was awake at last. Toothless must have remembered when Hiccup lost his left foot because the dragon nudged him gently while crooning happily, not moving from Hiccup's side even when the door of the small room he was in opened. A man came in wearing a black hood and cloak over his head and shoulders, but he removed the hood to reveal his face once he noticed Hiccup was awake. The teen took in the man's profile while they stared at each other, he had a short black beard that was showing signs of graying, their was fur on his left shoulder over the cloak and various armor under it along his arms and right shoulder and chest. He spoke in roman but Hiccup's head was still throbbing and couldn't quite make out what his was saying, if he could speak Norse it'd be easier, the man noticed the look of pain and confusion on his face and glanced over to Toothless for a minute before snapping his fingers.

"You must be from the archipelagos where the Vikings live, I apologize the dragon should have given it away." He said in perfect Norse with a strange accent that wasn't of Rome. "I must say young man, I've never seen someone as young as you survive more than a few days in one of Atticus' prisons; he can be ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants. How long were you there?" Hiccup tried to speak but his throat was parched and all that came out was a dry cough. Toothless gave a worried warble and nudged him gently with concern again; the man raised an eyebrow at this but walked over to a nearby table and poured Hiccup a cup of water from a pitcher that was nearby. "I've never seen a dragon." He said, "I've been to the archipelagos a few times and heard stories of their raids but never saw one with my own eyes. There hasn't been any seen in Rome or anywhere beyond until the Far East for several generations, before I was even born. So you can imagine my surprise when I find one carrying an injured boy out of a prison run by the cruelest commander in the entire Roman naval fleet." Hiccup gulped down the water as if it was life itself, and it tasted like it was. "What kind of dragon is it? I've been shown drawings of several dragons by a friendly village about a year and a half ago while I was on business and don't recall seeing one that looked like that."

Hiccup downed another mug of water before he felt he could finally speak, "He's an extremely rare species called a Night Fury. I shot him down one night during a raid on my former village and I couldn't bring myself to kill him once I found where he crashed. We spent some time together and became friends and were forced to flee when someone from my village found us and reported it to the chief." The man nodded as he sat down next to the bed Hiccup was in, Toothless still not moving from his side but keeping a wary eye on the stranger, Hiccup knew the dragon would keep an eye on them until he was sure they meant no harm. They had the same experience when they'd been forced to land on Meathead Island after their battle with the Red Death and his childhood friend Thuggory had found them in the forge that night making Hiccup's first prosthetic leg.

"A Night Fury you say? The village I was visiting at the time told me of it, called it the offspring of lightening and death." He chuckled, Hiccup did as well while Toothless shook his head and posed him self proudly to represent his status. "They also claimed they almost killed one, but a traitor had intervened and escaped with it. I assume that was you?" Hiccup stiffed at these words, this man had been to Berk. He had been there around the time Toothless and Hiccup had fought and killed the Red Death and they people there still hated him and more than likely wanted nothing more than to kill him and Toothless, good thing they planned to never set foot back on that island ever again. The man kept his eyes on Hiccup who looked back and nodded, he smiled and looked over at Toothless who was narrowed him eyes after Hiccup had clamed up. "Seems to me like they stupidly ran off a chance at piece with the creatures, I may be an assassin but even I would be willing to hear other options before making a decision." Hiccup was slightly taken aback by the assassin part but straightened himself, he wasn't really in a place to judge seeing as he and Toothless had killed a dragon and who knows how many Outcasts and Berserkers in their raids.

The man stood up and placed a kind hand on his shoulder, drawing his gaze, "You should rest lad, you've been through a lot for however long you were held in that prison and your body needs to heal and recover. We will talk some more soon." He gave him a gentle squeeze and placed the pitcher next to the mug in case Hiccup needed more water, then turned to leave. Hiccup suddenly remembered the man's first question.

"Sir?" The man turned around, "My name is Hiccup, thank you for saving me and Toothless back there." He motioned to the Night Fury who huffed in response so the man would understand the dragon had a name. "And I had been held in that prison for three weeks." The man's eyes shoot up when Hiccup told him the length of his imprisonment only to slide back down as he smirked and nodded before leaving the room, Hiccup laid back down thinking to himself that for an assassin that guy wasn't too bad.

*Present, over the ocean

Hiccup hadn't spoken much after he told Astrid about how he met this brotherhood they were on their way to see, the look in his eyes seemed far off and she couldn't bring herself to snap him out of it, there had been pain in them so she knew he was leaving out something he felt was unimportant or wasn't ready to tell her. She wanted to asked for further details but he clearly needed to sort it out himself before he would share it with her, a familiar part of her mind that was beginning to feel less traitorous was wondering if he'd spill the entire truth if she kissed him on the cheek again, and then hoped it would have to be on his lips instead. Astrid was so busy trying to shake those thoughts from her head that she didn't hear the rumbling coming from some a nearby island surrounded by sea stacks.

Toothless let out a growl, but it was different from any other growl Astrid had ever heard out of him before, Hiccup's face drained and he immediately looked to her, "Astrid follow me closely and once we stop you and Stormfly keep as quiet as possible. The look on his face was one of genuine terror and it caught any remark or question on Astrid's tongue before they could leave and she just nodded and followed him behind a sea stack, blocking the island from view. Just as she found her voice and was about to ask why they were landing in the middle of nowhere on the middle of a sea stack instead of the top which is safer when a loud thundering sound was heard, Stormfly and Toothless both seemed uneasy about the sound and Hiccup motioned for her to hop off the Nadder and to join him against the rock face. The sound ended with what seemed like an explosion, Astrid could even see large chunks of rock flying past the stack they were hiding behind. 'Well that explains why we're hiding behind this and not on top of it.' The blonde thought to herself before a loud bloodcurdling roar/scream was heard, forcing her to cup her ears to block out as much as she could. Hiccups hands joined hers and muffled the sound further and out of the corner of her eye Astrid noticed the dragons were wobbling on their legs, the scream making them dizzy. When it finally died away Hiccup held one finger over his lips saying 'keep quiet' and looked around the edge of the stack, curious as to what could make a sound like that Astrid poked her head out just under his. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

The largest dragon she'd ever seen was flying over where the island had been shortly before, but now water was rushing to meet itself as the land mass sunk beneath the waves. The dragon was snow white with large serrated teeth and solid blood red eyes, the head was the largest part of it as the body was snake-like and covered in spikes similar to a Nadder. Overall the dragon looked remarkably like a Whispering Death, only several times bigger. The dragon looked around for awhile before flying off in a seemingly random direction, Hiccup kept a hand she hadn't realized he'd place over her mouth until the dragon was a dot in the sky. "Wha… wha… what…" Astrid tried to find the words but the image of the dragon prevented words from forming.

"That…" Hiccup said as color slowly made way back to his face, "Was a titan dragon."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"A titan dragon!? You mean like a titan wing dragon!?" Hiccup shook his head in response; still looking in the direction the dragon had flown off in, Astrid couldn't believe what she was hearing. Titian class dragons were supposed to be myths, one hadn't been seen in over four generations and any before that were only rumors and hearsay, yet it was the only thing that could make sense for the terrifying creature that had just caused an entire island to sink into the ocean. Stormfly and Toothless were also watching the spot where they'd last seen the dragon, both still visibly shaken by the massive albino reptile.

"Have you dealt with that… that thing before?" She asked, again Hiccup only nodded affirmatively, which didn't do anything to easy her nerves. Astrid had never seen Hiccup this shaken in their short time together since their reunion, whatever his past with that dragon held was enough to shake him even more than when he told her about his battle with the Red Death. After a few more minutes both the boy and the dragons regained their composure and they took to the sky once again, any conversation that might have been was halted as Hiccup kept glancing back nervously in the direction where the island had been, as if he expected the titan class dragon to be hurtling after them. Astrid wanted to give him some sort of assurance they'd be alright, but for the first time in her life she couldn't be sure of it herself, so she settled for patting her Nadder's scaly neck as comfortingly as she could.

*Two days later, 80 miles outside Rome

The last couple days had passed without incident, the pair where now currently an hour's flight from Rome according to Hiccup. He'd been more himself the day after their near encounter with the titan wing dragon, Astrid was well aware he hadn't slept that night, she'd heard him rustling about and the occasional peek revealed him looking at her with worry written across his face. While she was irritated that he was worrying about her when he knew she was more than capable to taking care of herself she also found it slightly endearing that he was willing to stay up all night looking out for her. Years of striving to be the best had left her feeling like she didn't need it on Berk, but now that they were in foreign lands and on dragon-back she felt comforted for the extra pair of eyes. She wanted to ask more about the dragon that terrified him and Toothless so much, but every time she mentioned it his eyes would grow distant and he'd say that he'd rather not think about it.

They were currently landed in a small clearing in a forest, having lost sight of the ocean some ago; he was cooking more fish while the dragons ate. Astrid was still in amazement at there being such a large land mass only a few days flight from Berk and wondering how long it would take to reach by long boat, guessing probably close to a month. Hiccup said they needed to wait until it was dark to actually finish their journey, since Romans didn't have dragons and would attack on sight with their more advanced weapons, mumbling something about a legion keeping an eye out. Astrid had heard of them, she couldn't recall what they were called but they functioned as giant crossbows and Hiccup was fairly certain they were more than capable of killing a dragon in one shot since his invention 'the mangler' was similar and shot down a Night Fury. As they ate, he seemed to become increasingly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck and eyes glancing in her direction before moving to look at the ground or Toothless with a look the dragon matched before it would openly stare at her, Stormfly just gobbled down her fish and went about preening her scales again.

"Alright Hiccup, what has you wound up so tight? You keep looking at me like an arrow is about to go through my neck." She was done beating around the bush with this brotherhood nonsense, he'd barely told her anything other than what they actually do. Assassins, Hiccup would travel to an empire that may one day try to conquer Berk, find assassins and make friends with them. She huffed in annoyance that it somehow seemed to perfectly fit as something he would do without realizing how it would look to others from the outside, or not care if he did. She had no idea how long he'd spent with the group only that it was less than a year, but she'd managed to learn the bulk of what he taught her during the two weeks of training was from various people within the group.

Hiccup looked down at the stick with a barely eaten fish and sighed, tossing it to the side where Toothless caught it and gulped it down, snapping the twig. "That's exactly what I'm worried about Astrid, when we get to their location they'll have archers hidden and poised to fire, I'm afraid one or more of them will think you're forcing me to show them where they are and shoot you. I promised your parents that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and now I'm about to walk into a place filled with efficient killers, possibly the best in all of Midgard, and hope they don't act rashly." That was news to her, he hadn't mentioned talking to her parents about her coming with him on this trip and she hadn't really thought to tell them with how suddenly it had come up and played out. Now she owed her parents an apology as well, but they were easy next to Hiccup, how do you apologize to someone how doesn't hold your past transgressions against you? Hel he'd practically thanked her for giving him the life he had, all but said those words that would say he didn't miss Berk for a second after he left.

"Hiccup I'll be fine." She insisted, she was still getting used to him looking out for her. He just shook his head again and ran his hand through his hair, causing a twinge of a familiar strange feeling in her gut. "Will it help if you have your arm around me in a friendly fashion or held my hand? Something that would show them you brought me by choice? I mean I know I did kind of force you to bring me but not for any malicious reason." She said forcing down the blush fighting to climb onto her cheeks, Hiccup was less successful as he turned beet red and forced himself to look down harder to try and hide it. Astrid felt her stomach grow warm at the thought of having Hiccup hold her hand for any reason.

"You sure I can't convince you to stay with the dragons? Toothless won't mind staying out with you and Stormfly, he'll actually have someone to play with while I'm dealing with my business with the brothe…" He stopped mid sentence and his face became serious as he focused on something. Astrid looked around but didn't hear or see anything that would be cause for alarm. Then without warning he threw himself towards her, causing her to let out a yelp of surprise, if he was doing what she thoughthw was doing then he was being extremely forward about it. He stopped inches from her in a posture that looked like he was about to hit her, so on instinct Astrid brought her fist to his gut first. Toothless let out a roar and Stormfly followed suit, bringing the blondes attention to them and found the two facing the trees and growling, looking back at Hiccup, who had a hand on the spot she'd punched him while the other still held the arrow that he had caught from hitting her… in the neck.

Hiccup gripped his stomach, Loki's balls that girl hit hard, he should have known the sudden movement would put her on edge. After all she'd only found out he considered her a friend a few days ago, so him charging forward to stop an arrow might be seen as a hostile move. He looked at the arrow and confirmed his suspicions by the design on the arrowhead, the faint sound of a bow's drawstring being pulled back reached his ears and he quickly started shouting in roman. "Hold! She's with me! I take her under my protection and assure she will be no trouble during the extent of our stay!" A shout from the trees called out to hold, so at least two archers where among them, as if to answer his unasked question two figures dropped from the trees and came into the light of the clearing, he recognized them right away. The taller one leading the other was Sepha, a native to Rome and defector from the Legion after the grand master had saved her life during a job. The other was Titus, the roman version of Snotlout, he had several issues with Hiccup, starting with him being born a Viking savage as he liked to call it. Hiccup noticed the latter still had an arrow notched despite being given an order by Sepha to stand down, being a head taller than Titus and the shade from the trees managed to cover the anger sliding onto his face.

Sepha reached them first and taking notice of Astrid's clothes was smart enough to know she was from the Archipelago like him was and spoke in her best Norse that he'd taught her. "I apologize Hiccup, Titus seems to have had an err in his judgment when he loosed his arrow." She gave the younger boy, the age of 17, a pointed look which he didn't acknowledge; the sound of the arrow in Hiccup's hand snapping seemed to catch his attention though. Hiccup looked to her and knew she could read the question of why she brought him of all people, he took some solace in the fact she gave an apologetic look in return. "The grand master is expecting you; he knew you'd wait until dark to come in with your dragon so he sent us to find you. We have worked to add a new way in that you could access from this forest, however I believe you will surprise him once again with having brought a… guest with you. Is she to be a recruit?" Hiccup shook his head quickly before giving Astrid a sidelong glance.

"No, she's a friend. I'm sort of helping her train a dragon like I did with Toothless." He answered, as if on cue Stormfly ran over to her rider and nuzzled her back affectionately, drawling a small laugh from the girl who just rubbed the Nadder's head. Titus' hand jerked on the drawstring of his bow and Sepha had to snatch the arrow away to stop Hiccup from hurting him, the two boys had fought a few times before, Hiccup being the taller and more experienced always came out on top, he could only guess Sepha could sense a change in the tension since his anger was a direct reaction to Titus threatening Astrid. "Like I said, she's under my protection and will be no trouble, unless someone else starts it." Hiccup continued, giving a glare to Titus who smirked in a way that stated his intention to be said trouble, "She's a Viking, so if someone starts anything she'll damn well finish it, and I have a promise to keep to her parents to bring her back in one piece." Sepha nodded in understanding and motioned for Titus to report back to the headquarters without her.

Astrid was still loving on Stormfly to mask her bewilderment at the entire situation that had unfolded in front of her, Hiccup caught an arrow with his bare hand not two minutes after she had joked about being shot with one, then some of his assassin friends came out of the forest trees to greet them! Although judging by looks the boy Titus had received from the woman and Hiccup he was not only out of line, but not in Hiccup's good graces either. The woman, Sepha as Hiccup had introduced her, was leading them through the forest with the dragons in tow, occasionally weaving in and out of the trees in another game of tag they seemed to enough so much. Hiccup and Sepha were currently engaged in a conversation in what Astrid assumed was roman while she followed in irritation on not knowing what was being said. Hiccup had mentioned giving her a scroll he'd written up in his brief time with the brotherhood to teach them Norse and him Roman, but he'd left it with them when they parted ways. Hiccup was looking back at her every so often and giving her a reassuring smile before continuing his conversation, she caught her name being mentioned but nothing else but the woman leading them nodded and patted his shoulder kindly. Astrid took the time to study this Sepha woman, she was close to her thirties yet she still carried herself as if she were twenty-three, she had black hair and dark brown eyes. The body language between her and Hiccup was relaxed, so Astrid assumed they had spent a good deal of time together, she wondered just how close the two were and ignored the flare of anger in the pit of her stomach.

The three finally cleared the forest and stood outside an abandoned compound that had been through some sort of battle, the walls had large holes in them and there were faint splashes of red in a wide array of places where men had been slain and finally blackened areas where explosions hadn't destroyed the wall or ground but still marked it. Astrid heard Hiccup give a groan followed by a light chuckle, looking at him to find a hand being drug over his face. "The old man is either getting sentimental with his age or sadistic." He said and the woman on the other side laughed along with him while Astrid just gave him a confused look, he took noticed and cleared his throat before filling her in. "You remember how I told you I met the brotherhood?" she nodded in response, "Well this is where I was being held, all the damage you see is from when Toothless tracked me down and fought his way in to find me."

Toothless seemed to have heard his name, as he popped up behind Hiccup and began growling at the building; Hiccup gave him a calming pat on the head while Stormfly nudged Astrid, feeling left out. With a bit of cajoling and bribing of extra fish they managed to convince Toothless to enter the former prison and followed Sepha as she led them in, Astrid was amazed at the realization that all the damage, both inside and out was done back the ebony dragon beside her, she forgot just how deadly a Night Fury was after seeing Toothless act so cuddly with her the last few days. Bits of armor and some weapons were still scattered around the interior of the prison, Hiccup picked up a pair of undamaged swords off the ground and affixed them under the saddle bags of Toothless' saddle mumbling about learning how they forged them when he had the chance, the faded blood stains were a few years old, and the blonde was fairly certain she saw a few severed body parts lying around corners they passed. They came to stop in front of a cell with the door blown clean off that made Hiccup shudder slightly, inside was the door and a table with various torture devices, among them was a whip that broke into nine separate strands with a piece of sharp metal tied to the end of each, still stained red from being used on someone. There were also knives, and other sharp objects that could be used for nefarious means of making one suffer, Hiccup grumbled under his breath and looked at the wall for a spilt second, Astrid followed his gaze and saw two scorch marks where two chains had been broken. Containing a gasp by biting her lip, the young Viking realized exactly why Hiccup had groaned and Toothless growled upon seeing this place, Hiccup hadn't told her about his time in the Roman prison other than Toothless had come to rescue him and they met members of the brotherhood while leaving, but looking into this particular cell spoke volumes when Hiccup involuntarily shuddered. The Romans hadn't just held him prisoner here, they tortured him in that room and probably left him with more than a few scars given the number of tools still lying forgotten on the table, the moment passed however as they continued down the hall and into an obviously recent addition of stairs.

The stairs led to an underground tunnel that stretched for what looked like miles, there was a small cart on two metal tracks that Sepha hopped into and beckoned them to join, Hiccup refused an nodded to Toothless who was stretching his wings showing they had plenty of room for them to fly. Stormfly looked at Astrid expectantly and squawked, the girl laughed at her dragons childlike actions before happily climbing on her back and settling into the saddle. Sepha gave the pair of young adults a look before shrugging and kicked off with the cart, they followed without hesitation, it took just under an hour but eventually the tunnel ended, a large entryway with large wooden doors that reminded Astrid of the Meade Hall were waiting. The older woman proceeded to the doors and pushed them open, letting more light than the torches on the walls of the tunnel had provided spill in, momentarily blinding them.

Hiccup knew what was on the other side of the doors when his eyes finally adjusted to the light and he could see once again, Toothless by his side let out an excited warble as a familiar man stood there expectantly. "It has been a long time my young friends!" The grand master of the brotherhood said in a loud voice he rarely uses when he isn't reprimanding members for disobedience, Hiccup smiled broadly at the man and gave him a hug, after nearly a year and a half of not seeing each other it was nice to be in his company again. The man pulled out of the hug and gave Hiccup a clap on the shoulder with a wide smile of his own, his beard had grayed more and stood out against the rest of his black facial hair, but otherwise he was exactly as Hiccup remembered him, they released one another and he turned to Astrid for the first time, who was still sitting astride Stormfly and watching the them with interest and amusement. "Ah Titus said you had brought a guest and took them under your protection, but he failed to mention how lovely she was." The grand master made his way over to the Nadder, holding his hand for her to sniff while he held a hand out for Astrid to take as well, Hiccup rolled his eyes and chuckled at his teacher and friend's, antics the second Astrid reached of his hand and slid off Stormfly he raised it to his face and kissed it as he did with every woman he meets, ever the charmer. The blonde looked at Hiccup and he had the good grace to contain his laugh, barely, she gave him a glare but it was wiped away when the grand master swept his hand into the main chamber of the brotherhood's hideout. Hiccup let the surroundings he and Toothless had called home for a several months sink in again, and smirked to himself as he noticed Titus cleaning weapons, a task given as punishment since their were a wide array of them for different assassinations, before following the older man who had wrapped an arm around his friend and was speaking grandiosely about the brotherhood's legacy and history, embellishing on many details Hiccup knew about.

"Hiccup my young friend," Thankfully the grand master was speaking Norse so Astrid could understand, "Your old room is exactly as you left it, feel free to go get your things settled for your stay while I get to know your beautiful lady friend here." Hiccup gave a nod and left with Toothless, Sepha had left during the strange man's greeting hug with Hiccup and Astrid was currently stuck with his arm wrapped around her like a old friend who he hadn't seen in awhile, Stormfly was standing behind them tilting her head this way and that. Once the boy and his dragon turned the corner Astrid was lead into another room smaller with a small bar and tables in it, similar to the one in the Meade Hall back home but the tables were round and had individual chairs. "So…" the man she assumed was this grand master Hiccup had referred to started, "Hiccup not only brought you with him but taught you his dragons secrets." His tone was no longer the jovial one he'd used with Hiccup, it was now all business and his face wore a grave look to match it, she gulped and nodded as she suddenly felt like Hiccup's protection wasn't in effect just yet. "That boy spent three weeks in that prison you came through refusing to tell the Romans anything about dragons, and they put him through all sorts of pain and suffering in order to break him. So how did you?"

Astrid should have seen it coming, Hiccup was dead set against her coming and even more against her training her own dragon, he must have known this would happen. "I had been spending a lot of time with Hiccup before you called him here, he's a friend and I was there when one of your people showed up with your summons. I was thought that if he left he wouldn't come back. You see we hadn't parted on the best of terms the last time I had seen him and I wanted him to know I'm here for him. So I told him if he didn't let me come with I'd try on my own and follow him, he gave in after that and taught me." The grand master nodded in what looked like understanding, before pushing his hood back, revealing a face she had seen before, three and a half years before. "Wait a minute… I recognized you! You came to my village, you said you were a wanderer and asked about dragons since they weren't around where you came from!" The man studied her, as if he was truly looking at her for the first time, he stroked his short beard and opened his mouth once he seemed to come to his conclusion.

"Ah so you're from Berk then… Yes I remember you now; you were the young girl with the axe and scowl everywhere you went. You and that muscle bound boy were the quiet and annoyed ones while your large friend told me about your dragon book and those twins argued over something unimportant. You were apart of the village that is responsible for making young Hiccup's life difficult and yet you are here with him?" The man's hand moved to hover over a dagger that was resting on his midsection, held there by the leather strap of his armor. "Tell me how you got Hiccup to help you tame a dragon, the truth this time." His voice lowered and the glare he wore showed he would kill her if he didn't like the answer. "That boy is family to me, I know all about how he had to practically raise himself, how he was treated for only trying to help, how he was run off for doing something amazing in taming a dragon. Had he been born here he would have had a brilliant life designing those weapons of his, but out there he was made to live a solitary life. He told me all this when recovered from his injuries and I am amazed at how strong he had to have been from such a young age, not physically, but emotionally. Anyone else would crack under what he went through, so after him surviving fourteen years of treatment like that, those three weeks in that prison were probably less painful. That boy has amazing willpower and an indomitable spirit nothing your village did broke that, I'd say he is the strongest of you all. So I won't ask again, the truth."

Astrid's breath caught in her throat, while she had known Hiccup felt like an outcast on Berk, she'd never thought the feelings ran that deep. She wanted to think about this further, but the man was ready to draw the dagger from it's sheathe and she needed to clarify what she'd told him. "What I told you was the truth, just not all of it. Hiccup came back to Berk when we were attacked by a man who we thought was our ally, he disguised himself and wanted to get rid of the dragons that were living on our island and I found out who he really was. We didn't get along at first seeing how he's a branded traitor and everything and he was kind of holding me hostage so I wouldn't out him." '_Again_' she thought to herself. "Anyway we ended up sorting out a lot of our personal issues and started becoming friends, that's when one of yours showed up and the rest played out like I told you." The grand master stared at her for a long time; Stormfly had settled behind her and was keeping a wary eye on the man, waiting to see what his next move was before making one herself, finally he let his hand fall back to the table and smiled.

"That sounds like our Hiccup alright." He said with a laugh, Astrid however just let out a relieved breathe. "I'm sorry young lady, it's just everyone here knows Hiccup's story and as close as we all are, we look after our own. I know more than the rest and had I met Hiccup before I set foot on Berk, I might have killed a few people he did tell us about, his family mostly. However I know the boy would not appreciate that, he hoped they all are happy last time I talked to him about it." Astrid relaxed slightly, she was sure her name was somewhere on that list if Hiccup indulged in spilling details. "Oh I realized I have yet to ask your name, I'd give you mine but I gave it up when I started this brotherhood, so you may simply call me grand master." He finished with a smile.

The blonde gave her name with as sound a voice as she could for worry his hand would fly back to his blade. He smiled and nodded while holding out a hand for her to shake; she took it after a moment, when she was sure he wasn't going to cut it off. After they let go he waved the woman behind the bar who brought over a green glass bottle and two cups, "Now if Hiccup vouches for you then no harm will come to you from us, however I recommend you keep your distance from Titus, he and Hiccup have a history of not getting along. But for now, you and I need to get better acquainted, and there is only one way to get to know each other quickly." He pulled the cork out of the bottle and poured the red liquid into the cups that had been brought before handing one to her. "We drink!"

Hiccup found his old room from when he stayed with the brotherhood untouched save for the occasional sweep for dust, the small desk he had was still cluttered with drawings of dragons (mostly Toothless), places and occasionally some people. Along with them were other inventions like his design for his shield and Inferno, Hiccup looked over them and smiled as he knew that no one else in that hideout could make heads or tails of his schematics. Turning around, Hiccup helped Toothless out of his carrying equipment and began placing things where they would be out of the way, his journal full of sketches and a log of islands he'd helped and a his personal Book of Dragons he had written were placed on the desk. While he was glad to see the brotherhood again, most of them anyway, he didn't plan to stay longer than a few days to take care of whatever it is that needed his attention so he could get those dragons on Berk to leave and go a safe place, even if he didn't like the reasons he was sending them there.

Astrid was thoroughly enjoying the drink she was having with the grand master, he called it wine and unlike mead and ale it was sweet instead of bitter like she was used to, they needed this stuff back on Berk. She'd been listening to him talk about what he'd been doing when he met Hiccup for the past few minutes, thankfully she could understand him since the mead back home was far stronger than the wine and her head was only just starting to buzz after her fifth cup. She'd told him how she never truly picked on Hiccup before he left, leaving out her involvement in his leaving and the happenings since his return as Ryder, the older man laughed harder when he realized why he chose that name as his cover. "So tell me Astrid, do you know of this girl Hiccup never got over?" The man asked, he had drunken several more cups than she had at this point and was thoroughly drunk, but his question was still a surprising one, there was a girl who Hiccup never got over? "He would never tell any of us her name, said it was his burden to bear and he would prefer to do it alone." He paused to down another cup of wine, "I did get him drunk enough once to get a hint about her though…" He tottered slightly and was forced to regain his balance despite never getting up from his chair, "He wouldn't tell me her name but said she was from Berk and referred to her as Divine Beauty. Any idea who that might be?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Hiccup had spent the last twenty minutes cleaning his old room, he'd finally managed to organize and stack the drawings and sketches on his desk beside his personal dragon manual and journal as well as clear a few of his works in progress off his bed. After taking a moment to see that those tasks were done to his liking he was ready to take a break. Leaving his room and making for the obstacle course he'd helped design and build, Hiccup decided the archery escape exercise would be best for now, he was probably getting rusty. He turned the crank for the targets to pop out like they would in a somewhat real life escape attempt, and made his way to the start, notching an arrow as he did. Hiccup took a deep breath and flicked the release and started running along the course, firing at the first target as he did.

Astrid was currently being shown around by a member of the brotherhood, an older woman named Alexandria; however she wasn't paying much attention to the tour as her thoughts lingered on what the grandmaster had drunkenly told her. Hiccup was still hung up on a girl from Berk, and he referred to her as Divine Beauty, the very meaning of her name. She'd tried to ask more about it, but the grandmaster was called away by Sepha and he had ordered Alexandria to show her around and answer any questions she might have. '_Hiccup couldn't really still have those kinds of feelings for me, could he?_' Astrid thought to herself, '_After I got Toothless nearly killed and him banished how could anyone still care for me in that way?_' These thoughts continued to plague Astrid until they reached a long hallway with doors littering both sides spaced about ten feet apart.

"And these are the living quarters; we'll find you a spare room for your stay here." Alexandria told her with a smile, Astrid figured Hiccup's room had to be among them somewhere, it must have shown, because Alexandria followed up with exactly what she wanted to ask with a knowing smirk. "Young Hiccup's room in the seventh door on the left dear, why don't you rest in there until we've gotten a room ready for you." With a nod the blonde made her way to the indicated room. Hiccup's dwelling was a bit of a mess, Astrid could tell it had some cleaning done recently but the boy she was looking for was noticeably absent. Looking around the room revealed Hiccup had only given a few of the things he'd done in his time away, there was a stack of papers by two journals on a desk and the top one had a sketch of Toothless' tailfin and scribbled notes that she didn't understand or couldn't read, one of the journals had the same symbol as the Dragon Manuel back on Berk while the other was just plain brown leather and there were several of Hiccup's small inventions hastily placed on the shelves of a nearby bookcase.

Plopping down in the chair next to the desk Astrid elected to wait for him to come back so they could talk, the questions she had would keep her awake all night if she didn't at least ask them. After a few minutes she became bored and her eyes fell on the pairs of books sitting on the desk, knowing she wouldn't make heads or tails of his schematics, Astrid reached for the one with the Dragons symbol on the cover. Flipping it open and reading the first page held an unexpected surprise, _Book of Dragons: Training tips and dragon traits_. Astrid's eyes widened as she realized what she was looking at, she quickly flipped to the next page to confirm her suspicions. _Dragon classifications: Stoker class, Boulder class, Tidal class, Sharp class, Tracker class, Strike class, and Mystery class. Each dragon is unique and no method of training is fool proof the tips within are effective but not guaranteed to work, that depends on the dragon. _Astrid flipped to the next page which had _Deadly Nadder_ written at the top and a detailed sketch of the dragon beneath it, the girl smiled thinking of her own Nadder happily napping in the common area as Alexandria had called it. The page gave the same details and stats as the manual back on Berk, but where it normally would've said '_extremely dangerous, kill on sight_' Hiccup's read: _ Nadders are extremely vain, constantly preening their scales to look their best, scratching under their chin and offering to smooth or polish the scales and spines on it's tail will often result in a friendly nuzzle._

Astrid flipped to a random page. _Whispering Death, This dragon prefers subterranean living, staying underground as much as possible to avoid sunlight which is too strong for their weak eyes. Eels have no effect on this dragon, and will likely cause it to snap at one's arm if not careful. This dragon loves to have it's teeth cleaned and will sit still for someone willing to brush them, the brusher only needs to be careful of the five extra rows of teeth within this dragon's mouth._ Astrid flipped through more pages, Monstrous Nightmare, Changewing, Thunderdrum, even a dragon she'd never heard of that Hiccup had dubbed Typhoomerang, each page listed their stats and gave a description of what made them dangerous followed by how to befriend and train them. Astrid stopped when she came upon a page dedicated to the dragon she had a personal vendetta with: The Flightmare. _This Mystery class dragon is a testament to it's classification, Flightmares do not breath fire like most other dragons, instead this one breathes a mist that paralyzes anything or anyone it comes into contact with, freezing even the strongest and bravest warriors instantly; such as the case of one Fearless Finn Hofferson from the isle of Berk. _

Astrid dropped the book onto the desk as this revelation sank in; her uncle hadn't been frozen by fear, but by the dragon's paralyzing mist. All of Berk ridiculed her family for him dying in fear when in reality he was involuntarily frozen by the Flightmare's unique ability. Once again Hiccup had changed what Astrid had believed and proven how wrong Berk was about dragons and himself, while she undoubtedly wasn't going to befriend a Flightmare anytime sooner she now at least could take comfort in knowing her uncle Finn had in fact been fearless, she only wished she could bring this book to the village's attention and have it accepted, but knew since the source was Hiccup it wouldn't even be considered. Her mind suddenly wondered if it was possible to somehow convince Stoick to denounce that title from Hiccup's name and get him welcomed back into the tribe, if that was possible Hiccup wouldn't have to leave and they wouldn't have to part ways as he clearly planned once he dealt with the dragons on the island. She was so engrossed with these thoughts she didn't notice the figure standing in the doorway staring at her.

Hiccup had run the course three times now at varying difficulties, his aim falling back into the sharpness it had the last time he'd been with the brotherhood with every target marked with a kill shot and the prized target at the end with an arrow buried in where a person's head would be. The grand master had appeared during his most recent run and was watching with amusement, he preferred to perform the kills at close range, saying it was more intimate that way. Given the occasional teeter in his stance Hiccup figured he had been drinking, meaning he'd decided to use his old fall back to get to know Astrid; putting the bow and quiver back on the weapons rack Hiccup hoped the older man hadn't done or said anything too embarrassing to the blonde who was notably absent.

"Hiccup, it's time you know why I summoned you here." The grand master said with a serious tone despite the slight slur in his voice. Hiccup nodded and followed him, they headed for the showers which the younger man needed and would be empty at this point in midday, so the master clearly wanted this to be a private discussion. Grabbing a towel and removing his armor and Hiccup made his way to the first shower and removed the remainder of his clothing, waiting patiently for the older man to begin, he didn't speak until Hiccup pulled the rope and opened the aqueduct letting water spill over him. "The Roman legion as you know is still determined to learn your secrets about dragons…" he began, Hiccup nodded and traced one of the scars along the line of his ribs, "They don't know where you are but have issued a reward for anyone who can bring you in alive, using the death of a centurion who was killed when Toothless came to rescue you in that prison. You and I both know it's only a matter of time before someone tries to find and hire us to track you, and there's only one way to avoid that." Hiccup let out a long sigh, he knew eventually the Romans would try to hunt him down again and since he wasn't an official member of the brotherhood they could still be hired to find or even killed him, the only way to prevent that was to complete his final examination and perform an assassination. "I know how you feel about our line of work Hiccup so I've decided if you choose to go through with your final test, you'll be going after the man who is offering the reward for your capture, if he dies the reward can't be paid… however _if_ he were to choose to take down the offer before you carried it out, I'd be forced to consider the mission a success." The smile in the grand master's voice was so obvious that Hiccup couldn't help but let one make it's way onto his face, this man was truly the father he'd never had, even now he was looking out for Hiccup and helping to ensure that he wouldn't be haunted anymore than he already was. Stopping the water flow and wrapping the towel around him, Hiccup turned to his friend.

"Thank you… Ezio"

Astrid was still sitting in the chair lost in her thoughts about her uncle, the Flightmare and getting Hiccup welcomed back to Berk, still unaware of the figure standing at the door. She had been there for several minutes; however Astrid had lost all track of time, the things flying around her head at speeds she thought only dragons could achieve when the figure spoke. "You really shouldn't be poking through someone else's stuff." Astrid snapped her attention to the door and saw Titus standing there with a smirk that screamed trouble. "Hiccup may have brought you here as his guest, but that doesn't give you the right to snoop through his things. Truth be told you shouldn't even be allowed to see this hideout." He made his way in the room and the light glinting off a blade could be seen on his side, half withdrawled from its sheath and ready to be used. The look in his eye told Astrid that he was going to be trouble, the blade further proving her conclusion.

"Alexandria told me I could stay in here until they got a room ready for me, and from what I understand Hiccup wouldn't like you coming into his room unannounced." Astrid snapped, standing and pointing her finger at him as she did, she knew he probably had similar training that Hiccup did and since she was still learning them herself would likely be able to best her should they come to blows, but she wasn't one for backing down from a challenge. Both Alexandria and the grand master had told her how Titus resented Hiccup for both being what he considered an outsider and having favor with the leader of the brotherhood and how they'd ended up in fights more than once, a smirk came to her face at the thought of being allowed a look at this side of Hiccup that very few seemed to see. Titus now stood directly in front of her, the only thing between them being her hand which was still pointed accusingly at him; with lightening fast reflexes he caught her wrist and sneered as he pulled her towards him forcefully.

"You've got a lot of spunk for a Viking savage, didn't know they made ones that look like you." The look in his eyes was unmistakable, she'd seen it in Snoutlout and many others how tried to court her: lust. Titus was aroused by her and was more than likely going to try something, which would be her opening. He smirked before speaking again, "Tell me, why is one lovely as you travelling with that piece of trash Hiccup? From what I understand he turned his back on his own people and then he abandoned this order when he unknowingly carried out an assassination. He only cares for himself and that damned lizard that follows him around, so how long until he ditches you?" Astrid would punch him if he didn't have a small point, Hiccup had made it no secret that he intended to leave once the dragons on Berk were dealt with, did that include Stormfly? But she shook it off and continued to glare at Titus defiantly. He gave her arm another hard yank and took the momentary loss of her balance to wrap an arm around her waist shove her against him, the smirk grew larger and his eyes darkened further. Astrid clenched her hands into fists and drew her free arm back ready to sock him in the jaw when a new voice spoke.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both head turned and found Hiccup standing there in the doorway, shirt and armor tucked under his arm and leaning against the frame covered in the shadows from the thighs up. Titus released the blonde and trudged his way out the door, "Nothing at all, filth" Hiccup didn't move and the younger man shouldered him with little affect on taller one. Astrid stared as the tension was so thick she could cleave it with her axe, which she wished she'd stop leaving with Stormfly so she could cut Titus in two. Hiccup looked at her for a second as she tried not to shudder from the sick feeling that still clung to her where the assassin had touched her, failing to stop the disgusted look on her face as he finally got out the doorway. Hiccup pushed off the frame and turned to follow Titus who was attempting to walk as fast as he could back to his own room.

Hiccup caught him a few doors down and grabbed his arm, giving in a twist to prevent escape and spun him back so he could see the seriousness in his eyes as he spoke. "Don't ever touch her like that again. If you do, I'm not going to worry about the rules, not going to talk to the grand master, not even going to bother with worrying about how the others will feel about it. I'm just gonna kill you." With that Hiccup let him go and turned back to his room and the girl still regaining control of her own temper within, he placed his armor on a shelf and cleared away some of the clutter still on his old bed. Astrid was still in the spot she had been when Titus finally released her, but Hiccup noted she was uncharacteristically silent, a glance over his shoulder revealed she had tensed up and was trying very hard not to look in his direction. "You ok Astrid? You weren't shaken up by Titus were you?" She shook her head stiffly but otherwise remained standing like a bored and refusing to look in his direction, Hiccup just couldn't figure out why. He turned back to his old bed and continued for a few moments when he saw seared wound on his arm from his duel with Dagur when it struck him, he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Hiccup could slap himself, Astrid was uncomfortable because his upper half was exposed to her and he hadn't eve thought about it. He cursed himself as he quickly ruffled through his bags that had been on Toothless' saddle and found a long sleeve olive green shirt, he hoped she hadn't seen any of the scars on his body, he really didn't like showing them to others and he hadn't expected anyone to be in his room after his shower. He was about to tug the shirt on hastily when Astrid seemed to recover her voice, much to his chagrin, "Wait! Hiccup, don't." The older of the two stopped reluctantly and turned to her. The blonde closed the small distance between them and gave the tunic a small pull, Hiccup let it slide to the ground as she looked at the scars now displayed before her. She brought her hands up to the cuts along his ribs and traced them slowly, if it weren't for the memories that came along with them Hiccup would've blushed, her hand made it's way up to the red and pink patch where he'd been shot with an arrow on his right shoulder. She did this for several minutes before her eyes fell on his, he could see the questioning in them and knew the question was coming before it left her mouth, "How?"

With a sigh he gently took her wrist in his hand and lead it back to the arrow wound, "A Roman fleet saw me and Toothless flying and managed to hit me as we were leaving a village just over two years ago, it was how they captured me." He lead her hand to s a large stab wound on his lower stomach, "Alvin the Treacherous, the first time he and I fought with weapons, he was able to stab me and almost kill me, Toothless managed to separate us and escape with me before I lost too much blood." Her hand now rested on the cuts along his ribs, "The officer overseeing my interrogation for dragon training enjoyed thinking of new ways to ask every few days," He moved her hand to several small stabs along his left side, "He'd come in and do one method and ask how to control dragons while doing one of these to me," He turned and let her trace the whip marks on his back on her own before turning to face her again and gestured to the cuts again, "This is was he was doing the day Toothless managed to track me down and bust me out." Finally he brought her hand to his right bicep to where the veins were highlighted red and formed what looked like a lightning tattoo of sorts, "This is from a time where Dagur and Alvin worked together and captured a Skrill, using a harness that Berserkers used to control them they managed to hit me here with the dragon's lightning." Her eyes were wide as she drank in every detail of the scars and absorbed the cause of all but one.

Her hand landed on the center of his chest as they continued to look at each other, Hiccup noted her face was extremely close to his, was she standing on her toes? The silence was warm but not uncomfortable; Astrid was suddenly standing so close he could feel the warmth from her body on his own. Without warning their lips met and lingered together for a moment before they began to move together, Hiccup's head was spinning faster than he'd ever flown on Toothless and his mind was at war with his body. He was screaming at himself in his head about this being Astrid and that this would ruin her life on Berk if anyone were to get wind of it, but he body was far more concerned about just how right her lips felt against his as his hands found their way to her hips and involuntarily pulled her closer. He vaguely registered her hand finding its way into his hair and the soft moan she let out against his mouth, if this was what Valhalla was like then Hiccup was perfectly fine with staying put forever. He felt her tongue prod at his lips, begging for entrance, and his mind seemed to snap back into control.

Hiccup gripped her shoulders gently and pulled away from the kiss, which he now realized had been far more than just a kiss. Astrid's lips were swollen and her hair slightly disheveled from their short make out, and her face was red as well, Hiccup could tell from the look she was giving him she was less than thrilled at the sudden stop. He took several deep breathes before dropping his arms and speaking, "Sorry." At this point he was afraid to say anything else for fear he might be tempted to try and kiss her again, had he really just kissed Astrid Hofferson? The girl in question quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What are you sorry for? I wasn't exactly trying to stop you." Astrid responded still breathing heavy herself. He knew she was right to an extent, but he hadn't been apologizing about the kiss, at least not entirely.

"That's not exactly what I meant Astrid." Hiccup said with a sigh, as much as he like what they were just doing and he REALLY liked what they were just doing, he couldn't put his desires ahead of what was best for her. "We both know that I'm a traitor to Berk, if anyone there was to find out what just happened you'd be branded one as well, and I'd never forgive myself if I caused that."

"Hiccup, in case you forgot, I pretty much forced you to show me how to tame a dragon. When we get back to Berk I'm not just going to put Stormfly back in that pen and forget about her, I can't do that to her. My life on Berk is pretty much over already and it's through no ones fault but my own." The blonde pointed out matter-of-factly, Hiccup knew she had a point but that still gave him no right to just take advantage of her like that. He opened his mouth to verbalize this thought when Astrid cut him off, "I know alright." The words caught in his throat, what did she know? The confusion must have shown because Astrid continued, "The grand master insisted we drink and get to know each other and he apparently has less tolerance for alcohol than I do because he got drunk really quick and told me about the girl you never got over. The girl you only ever referred to as Divine Beauty." The look she gave him was both accusing and kind at the same time and Hiccup felt light headed.

'_Thank you for nothing, you unless grand master._' Hiccup thought to himself, he was caught now, he was still crazy about Astrid and now she knew. He knew that no one back on Berk knew what Astrid had done yet; she could do what he had at first, hide her dragon and escape from the village to spend time with it. Unlike him, she wouldn't draw attention since she was always one of the best on the island, most if not all of the tribe would assume she's just training in the woods and leave her alone. It was doable for her, in theory. "Look Astrid, you're not like me. You could keep Stormfly in the cove and go visit her and fly with her everyday and no one would question it, I was a no body who suddenly became amazing at something and that drew too much attention. But you have always been amazing at whatever you put your mind to, so you going into the forest everyday wouldn't draw attention as people would just think you are just training and murdering trees like you do."

He could tell by the way her face contorted that she was deep in thought, maybe he'd gotten through to her sense of reason. Her eyes raised to meet his once again, and Hiccup had to force himself not to lean towards her again in hope of another kiss, "Alright, look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for me, that you haven't spent the last five years carrying feelings for me and that kiss we just shared meant nothing to you and I'll agree to that." Her face was hard and strong, but her eyes betrayed her, Hiccup could see she didn't want to hear those words leave his mouth, and he knew if he tried to tell her them while looking her in those big beautiful blue eyes of hers he wouldn't be about to say them.

"I can't do that Astrid. I can't because it would be a lie." Hiccup said as he lowered his face to look at his mismatched feet. She smiled as her face softened and she took a step forward, one hand coming up to cup his face and brought it up so they were looking at each other again. Hiccup wanted nothing more than to lean down just a bit, but he still knew deep down that it wasn't right. "I do still have feelings for you Astrid, five years and that has never changed, but I still think it wouldn't be right for me to pursue those feelings while there's still a chance for you to have a life on Berk. I can accept living on the outside of society with just Toothless as long as I know you're happy." Astrid's hand left his face and her smile dropped but the eye contact remained, which is why Hiccup didn't see her fist until it collided his jaw.

After letting out a groan of pain and rubbing his jaw, Hiccup looked at her with a look that clearly said 'what the Hel?' and Astrid just smirked at him as if she had bested him in a sparring match. "That was for trying to make a decision about my life for me." She stated proudly before once again closing the small distance that the punch had made between them, "And this is for everything else." She grabbed the back of his neck and yanked his head down to hers for another kiss, this one far more heated than the last.

Hiccup's mind lost control all over again and his body was more than happy to take over for it. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back and pulled her in close as her other arm wrapped around his neck and crushed her body against his, Hiccup responded to the kiss after a moment and his body suddenly felt like it was on fire in the best way possible. And if the small moans coming from Astrid were any indication, she was feeling something similar if not exactly the same as he was. Somehow they ended up back beside his desk and he lifted Astrid up to sit on it and the need for air finally forcing them apart, both breathing heavily and wishing they didn't need to breathe at all. Hiccup smiled at her and was about to say something when a grumbling noise met their ears, the pair of young adults looked above them and found a slightly perturbed Night Fury hanging from the rafters by his tail looking at them with bleary green eyes.

Astrid let out a small chuckled and buried her head in Hiccup's shoulder, "Has he been there the whole time?" She managed to ask without panting and smiled when she realized Hiccup's hands were still resting on her hips. He nodded; still catching his breathe and smiled at his scaly friend. The dragon gracefully dropped down to the floor and gave them an annoyed look through half lidded eyes and left the room turning towards the common area where Stormfly was likely still napping herself, leaving the two riders alone. Astrid turned her attention back to Hiccup and realized just how important he'd become to her since she found him in the cove just a few weeks ago, again, and how much she didn't want him to leave, again. "So what does this mean?" she gestured to the space between them, they'd just made out, twice and she was no longer telling her mind to shut up at the idea of doing it a third time, or a fourth, a fifth time would also be agreeable.

Hiccup sighed, "I don't know Astrid, what do you think it means?" He knew what he wanted it to mean, but he had no right to make that call for her, and he also didn't want to get punched again.

"Well I think I made my feelings pretty damn clear." She responded in a mock angry tone, but she couldn't force her face to stop smiling or the blush that now cover it. Hiccup chuckled and gave her a quick kiss which she tried to deepen, but he pulled back.

"Astrid I still care about you deeply, but maybe we should deal the reason I'm was summoned here and get back to Berk before we decide what this," gesturing the two of them as she had as when she asked, "is. I know a large part of me would like nothing more than to say we're together, but there are a lot of outside things we both need to consider. You know if we were to arrive back on Berk as a couple I'd be given the blood eagle for my past crimes and you'd either be outcast, imprisoned or…"

"Forced to marry Snotlout in order to atone for my own crimes since he's the heir to your father's throne." Astrid finished for him, for her that would be the worst punishment they could give her. She could live as an outcast if it came to it, imprisonment she could deal with as well, but having to watch Hiccup be given the worst death a Viking can suffer and then being stuck with Snotlout for the rest of her life and having to fulfill... marriage requirements with him would be impossible to stomach. "Ok, I'll agree to wait until then to figure this out, but until then…" She gave him a coy smile and pulled him towards her once again.

*2 hours later

The grand master was walking towards Hiccup's room; Alexandria had informed him that she had left Astrid there to wait until a room could be prepared for her and it was now clean and ready for a visitors stay. He also wanted to ask the lanky young man why his dragon was sleeping in the common area; it could be to keep the girl's dragon company, but he'd always been one to sleep in Hiccup's room either on or hanging from the rafters. He reached the door that led to the room and knocked softly, after a minute he didn't get a response so he cracked the door open slightly. Inside he could see the room was cleaner than it had been when Hiccup left and heard a soft snoring sound, he opened the door wider and stuck his head in to look around fully. He found Hiccup asleep on his bed (the source of the soft snore), with Astrid curled against him also sleeping soundly, both with small smiles as she tucked her head into the crook of his neck in her sleep. The grand master smiled to himself as he retracted his head and closed the door as he left, the smile didn't leave his face as he returned to the common area and approached the ebony dragon nestled beside the sapphire and gold dragon next to him. "I think I figured out why you decided to sleep here." He said kindly to Toothless who snorted in response. The man scratched the top of Toothless' head fondly and looked back towards the door that led to the living quarters. Thinking about his earlier interaction with Astrid and smiling, '_I knew it would work_'_,_ he thought to himself '_I'm glad Hiccup finally has his Divine Beauty_'

**I do apologize for taking two week to upload this chapter, circumstances have gone crazy on me and this story was force to take a back seat. First I had a quarterly inspection coming up for work and was focused on passing that so I can keep my job and then I finally bought a ring for my lady and my personal laptop has crashed and still needs replacing so I can only work on this during downtime at work. But i passed the inspection, she said yes and I still intend to work on this as much as I can, it just might be slightly slower than I'd like. I do hope this was worth the forced wait, and apologize to those of you who are not pleased with it. Thanks to those who have followed and/or added this fic to their favorites and any and all who have left a review. This chapter marks about the halfway point of the fic as I originally played it out in my head, it could still get longer so i won't promise a certain time frame for it being finished.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Hiccup awoke hours later and smiled as he remembered what had happened, looking to his right and slightly down he found Astrid still sound asleep with her arm around his torso and head tucked comfortably into the crook of his neck. He smiled to himself and thought about what had been said before things had gotten heated, they agreed to talk about what this meant for them when they return to Berk. Hiccup knew what he wanted and that was the woman currently lying next to him, but more than that he wanted what was best for her even if that meant he was not in the picture and despite everything she'd said earlier he still believed that didn't involve him in her life. The gods seemed to be testing him in a cruel way by giving him a taste of the one thing he'd always desired before he'd have to tear himself away from it.

He shifted slightly and the blonde girl hummed before turning on her side and facing her back to him, Hiccup took the opportunity to slide out of the bed as stealthily as he could to avoid waking her. The grand master would be along sometime and they'd need to get started on his final test… Hiccup sincerely hoped he could scare the man offering the price on his head into rescinding the bounty so he wouldn't have to kill him, but he also needed to steel himself for the more likely outcome. For as much as the Romans thought they were superior to Vikings, they could be just as stubborn, Hiccup just hoped he would be after some politician looking to move up and gain more power, they tended to be cowards. Pulling on his tunic, Hiccup placed Inferno on the table, for the exam he would need to use stealth and a flaming sword tended to attract a lot of attention which was part of the idea behind the weapon. He'd had the sword for a few years now and had grown attached to always having it on his leg ready for use, but tonight he would be using another weapon given to him by Shado when he was with the brotherhood before. Opening a small drawer on the desk he drew out what appeared to be a small wooden stick, but if one looked closely they would find a small crease on one side where the handle met with the sheath seamlessly. The tanto sword was a short blade from Shado's country of origin, far to the east, she had found a few for sale in a market while she was on a mission that Hiccup and Toothless had flown her to and bought herself one and then a second for him, she then trained him on the proper technique used for wielding the small sword. Hiccup liked the blade and had always wished he'd come back for it before he left, but that night had been upsetting for him and Shado had said she understood when she found him in the cove with Astrid that day, this time Hiccup would be sure to take it with him.

He heard movement from behind him and a small groan that brought a smile to his lips, "Hiccup…" He turned to find Astrid still have covered by the blanket of his bed, her fur hood and boots on the floor beside his armor which had been swept off in one of the several frenzied make out sessions they'd had before passing out in each other's arms a few hours earlier. "What are you doing up?" She asked rubbing her right eye in an attempt to remove the remnants of sleep from it, Hiccup had planned on letting her know about the final exam but he was hoping to have gotten a little longer to figure out how he planned to do so.

"Sorry Astrid, I'm going to have to go take care of that business with the brotherhood." He said with a grin, the thought of the grand master's out playing in his head once more, "It's a final exam of sorts, I do it and they can't accept any contracts on me or anyone I care about. So I guess that covers you and Toothless." The blonde smiled at the reminder of his feelings for her, she was beginning to wonder why she wasn't aware of these feelings five years ago when she found him and Toothless in the cove five years earlier; maybe they could be together without having to worry about everyone else in the tribe and she'd have Stormfly out in the open chasing Snotlout when he tried to flirt with her, because having a boyfriend isn't going to stop him from coming onto her. Astrid shook those thoughts from her head, it didn't matter now, what did was that she was aware of them now and she was determined to fix things with Hiccup and the people of Berk and show them that he was right about dragons all along. These thoughts also took a backseat when she remembered something from earlier that Titus had said when he was trying to do something.

"Hey Hiccup," Astrid said slowly, wanting to be careful how she asked this, "before you came in earlier Titus said something… that you left the brotherhood after you unknowingly performed an assassination. Is that true?" Hiccup's head had dropped during the question, he'd just pulled out a clip to hold the tanto on the back on his belt and his hand lingered on it for a moment. With a sigh he turned to face her, and brought his eyes to meet her own, they had the same distant look in them the day he told her about being held prisoner by the Romans, but somehow she knew this time he wasn't going to hide any small details from her.

"That's part of it…"

*Fifteen months ago, Rome

Toothless landed on the rooftop without a sound, he and Hiccup had been serving as a means of helping the brotherhood come and go quickly without having to sneak past the guards for the high profile targets, such as the ambassador from Italia that was visiting the supreme commander of the legion tonight. The grand master slid off the dragons back while Hiccup removed his artificial foot from the stirrup and swung off the near invisible dragon as well. "Remember Hiccup, you and the reptile stay here until I give you the signal to snatch me up and we'll be back home before Sepha can make some of her famous stew." Hiccup nodded, the grand master rarely took on missions, he was easily the most skilled out of all the members of the brotherhood and preferred to give the others the chance to improve themselves, but this one struck a nerve when it was brought to their attention the ambassador was running a sex slave operation and meeting with the supreme commander of the legion in hopes to expand his business.

The older man disappeared into the nearest window at the top on the complex and the pair that brought him were inspecting the defenses around in case alarms were sounded when they overheard two guards talking at a gate. "You think those idiot assassins will try to come after the ambassador tonight? It's been set up to be the perfect opportunity for them after all; the commander has been planning this for months." The other guard quickly shushed him with a reminder that said assassins could be anywhere by now, but the damage was already done. Hiccup's eyes widened with this revelation, if this was planned out then it was a trap, and if that was the case the grand master was in danger.

Hiccup moved quickly and quietly, thankful for the leather sole attached to his metal appendage keeping it from clinking with every step. Hopping onto Toothless, the pair launched into the air silently climbing high into the sky and blending in with darkness before Hiccup looked back to observe the compound. Recreating the blueprint the scouts had made for them he quickly located the armory; hopefully the Romans were dumb enough to store their black powder with their other weapons. Toothless seemed to know exactly what his rider was planning and was ready when his artificial tail fin snapped into position for them to flip in the sky and began diving. "What do you say we give these guys a small demonstration as to why Vikings fear Night Furys bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon in a tone that held a smirk he was all too familiar with. Toothless merely opened the flaps on his head and the shrill cry began to echo, drawing attention from all the soldiers below before a releasing a plasma blast.

The armory exploded in a fantastic shower of flame, _'Guess they aren't that much smarter than Vikings after all'_ Hiccup thought to himself before directing Toothless to also set their stables and barracks aflame as well, with luck that would keep them busy until they slipped away with the grand master. They spotted the man they were searching for in a room with a balcony, turning towards it they landed with a slight slide and Hiccup jumped off and ran to his mentor's side. "We need to go, this was a trap just to lure us out into the open!" Hiccup said but before they could move a clapping sound was heard and behind them was a man with a platoon of guards and a sinister look on his face.

"Clever boy, we've been planning this for some time and you've almost managed to ruin it in a matter of minutes. Your friend here was supposed to be found over in the room of his target and be captured, but it looks like we'll just have to be killing the both of you." He said, the smirk on his face never faltering. "We can always lure in one of the other members of your guild and get what we need from them, so your deaths are no great loss to us."

Hiccup knew the two of them could take on the relatively small number of troops the man had with them if they had the time, unfortunately it was likely that more guards would make their way into the room before long and they'd be overwhelmed. Racking his brain quickly for a solution, the lithe teen realized the man was far to smug for some one within earshot of a fire breathing dragon, out of the corner of his eye he could see Toothless was barely visible unless one knew he was already there. Hazarding a step forward he threw on a face on defiance, "You failed to realize just one thing." The man's face faltered for a moment and raised an eyebrow quizzically; Hiccup smiled under his black hood "This particular member always has back up close by." With that he whistled and the Night Fury lunged in shooting three consecutive plasma blasts knocking most of the soldiers off their feet. The man and another soldier, a centurion by the looks of his armor pulled out their weapons and began to advance, Hiccup responded with pulling two small throwing knives and they quickly found their way into the pair of men's necks. Toothless kindly blasted the ceiling so no more soldiers could follow without risking getting crushed and his rider grabbed the dumbstruck grand master, pulled him onto the dragon and the trio was off before anymore sense could be recovered.

A few minutes later they were safely in the air and headed back towards the brotherhood's headquarters. The grand master had been silent ever since Hiccup and Toothless had found him and their escape, but the look on his face said he was deep in thought and whatever was going on in his head was troubling him. "Grand master?" Hiccup began looking over his shoulder, "Is everything alright? You're being awfully quiet and you usually enjoy flying on Toothless almost as much as I do." The briefest of smiles ghosted across the older man's face, but the frown returned again before Hiccup spoke again. "Don't worry about the trap; I'm sure you'll get another chance at taking out that ambassador guy soon." The grand master shook his heads this time and signaled for Hiccup to land, despite only being a few miles out from the base Hiccup complied and they landed in a forest clearing.

"Hiccup…" The grand master began before faltering, "I'm so sorry son, but we won't have another chance at the ambassador, he was the man who had been leading those guards…" Hiccup felt a sense of dread crash down on him as he absorbed what he was being told. "The same man… that you threw a knife into the neck of before we left." The grand master rarely wavered in his voice, but this time his voice cracked as he laid everything out in front of his protégé. Hiccup had made it clear while he cared for everyone in the brotherhood, even Titus with his confrontational attitude (something about reminding him of a former family member.) he wanted no part in performing assassinations and they all accepted that and were happy with the dragonic transport he and Toothless had provided in their time with them.

"I… I… I have to go."

The grand master nodded, he knew Hiccup was no stranger to killing, but he had always stood firm on his belief that it was always a last resort and only in self defense or of those who could not defend themselves. The grand master had always thought it was the belief of a great leader, and had no doubt that the young man of 17 would one day become one whether he believed it or not, but right now he was just a boy who had unknowingly broken his one morals and needed to put distance between himself and the place where it happened. The grand master knew that feeling well, he had done the same when he'd had to watch his father and brother's be executed because he hadn't been strong enough to save them when he was just a year younger than Hiccup was now. "Go… I'll inform the others what happened. But if you ever decided to come back, you're room will be there, you'll always have a place in this family."

Hiccup nodded and the men embraced in a farewell, both with tears brimming in their eyes. Hiccup looked up at the man, "Thank you grand master, you guys have been better to me then most people I've known my whole life." The older man gave him a soft smile and ruffled his hair.

"You're welcome Hiccup. And when it's just you and me, feel free to call me Ezio."

Hiccup smiled back at him, "Thank you… Ezio." And with that he hopped back on Toothless, would quickly nuzzled their friend and they took to the skies once again and banked towards the barbaric archipelago, where surely there were more dragons waiting to be discovered and trained. The last thing of his life for the past several months was the grand master watching them as they soared away with all the speed a Night Fury possessed.

*Present day

"After that I returned to the archipelago and resumed my work as Ryder and eventually wound up following the Berserkers to Berk, I think you know how the rest played out." Hiccup finished with a slight smirk and nudged her with his shoulder. Astrid was stunned; Hiccup had some serious baggage from his time away. He'd been honest with her, she heard to hurt in his voice when he spoke of how he'd killed the ambassador without realizing who he was and while she personally wouldn't have been quite as shaken by it, she remembered it was still Hiccup. Under the armor, new slight, defined muscle, fighting skills, and pent up anger was the same kindhearted and sweet boy that had been her friend until Snotlout had started making him an outcast when they were five.

"Hiccup, you were protecting your friend. Someone you think of as family, you didn't breach your own morals by killing someone threatening one of the people you care about. You did the right thing." Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed noticeably.

"I've told myself that gods know how many times…" Hiccup said with a sigh, but he lifted his eyes to look at her, "But for some reason when you say it, I can actually believe it's true." Astrid smiled and moved her hand from his shoulder to cup his face, as their eyes met again she could see the pain start to ebb ever so slightly out of them and the green shone ever brighter as he pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you Astrid. Both for this and giving me hope that there can be peace between dragons and Vikings one day again, I don't think I can ever make that up to you."

The blonde pulled out of the hug and gazed at him for the umpteenth time, thinking how she'll never get tried of doing so. "You can start by keeping that promise to figure out what this is between us when we get back to Berk." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before letting him go, "Now go finish whatever your final test is so we can decide what we are."

Hiccup nodded and finished assembling his armor and retrieved a black hood from a drawer on his desk. The pair walked out to the common area where Stormfly was now awake and engaged in an apparent staring contest with the grand master, neither sparing a glance at the couple as they walked closer, after a minute the Nadder blinked and shook her head to alleviate her eyes causing the three humans to laugh. "So you're ready now then?" Hiccup nodded to his mentor and unsheathed the tanto in order to show he's prepared, Toothless grumbled from his spot on the floor as he woke to join them. The grand master smiled at his favorite pupil (not that he'd tell Hiccup or any of the others that), and stood from the seat while Stormfly found her spot beside her rider who scratched her chin affectionately, "Very well then, we should be on our way. And Ms. Astrid, in case you are wondering we should be back before daybreak." The blonde nodded her thanks as her dragon was trying to nuzzle her for more attention. "Besides, I'm sure the two of you are ready for this to be over and done with so you can get back to whatever you were up to for the two hours you spent together in Hiccup's room." The grand master didn't even bother to hide the smug smirk as both teens blushed furiously; he did however manage to hold in his laugh.

Hiccup, Toothless and the grand master walked through the large doors that lead to the tunnel towards the surface when the young man spoke out of ear shot from Astrid. "You know, Astrid told me you two were drinking and you let it slip that I still cared about her. Thing is you've drunk me and just about everyone else in the brotherhood under the table more times than I care to count." The two climbed onto the Night Fury who was ready to be in the air once again, "So how is it that in the hour or so I was not around you managed to get so drunk that you'd tell her that but she was still lucid enough to remember it completely sober after I returned from my shower where you were barely tipsy?" The grand master shrugged and a sly smile found his lips once more.

"I guess the young lady holds her alcohol better than this old man."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, but didn't press the matter, leave it to the old man to stick his neck into others private affairs; just another way he was the father Stoick had never been. With luck they'd be back in a few hours and after some rest, probably following another make out session with Astrid, they'd be heading back to Berk a few days sooner than he'd anticipated. A sudden sense of that moment filled Hiccup as he realized that meant he'd have to try and sort things out with Astrid, and he had a pretty good idea what she was in favor of. Not that he wasn't in favor of being with her, it was all he could dream of since he was a boy, but he didn't see a way where she wouldn't be scrutinized by the others at best or banished. If his identity were to come to light back on Berk it wouldn't matter if his father wanted him back or not, the council would choose to have him executed and gods know Spitelout would fan that flame so Snoutlout could remain as heir to Berk regardless of the fact Hiccup had zero interest in the position. Hiccup did miss Berk at times, despite of how everyone treated him it was home and that's not something that can be erased very easily. If Astrid were to convince him to be with her, would she expect him to stay on the island with her as Ryder for the rest of their lives? Or would she chose to leave with him on Stormfly and travel with him again, maybe find an island they could settle down on together or a village that he'd helped that would accept a pair of dragons living among them? Hiccup realized he was getting ahead of himself in that regard as well, while he knew he was still completely in love with Astrid she only just found out he still had feelings for her at all and they might not even work out as a couple. She could always wake up and find some real Viking that would be better for her, like that dragon trapper he'd had a few interactions with. His focus shifted back to what was going on around him as Toothless hit fresh air and they rose into the night sky.

Astrid sat in the common area playing with Stormfly, who she discovered loved to play fetch, the Deadly Nadder was currently looking for the spare handle for her axe while the blonde lounged in a chair from the bar/dining room. Sepha was sitting next to her laughing as Stormfly picked up an unsuspecting member of the brotherhood as he flailed about in momentary panic, the older woman explained that after spending an extended amount of time with Toothless just about every member of the brotherhood was rather lax about a dragon playing with them as if they were toys. Just as Stormfly managed to locate the spare handle, none other than Titus walked in. He sneered at Stormfly who was returning to Astrid in hopes of another round of fetch, clearly Toothless had the same relationship with Titus as Hiccup and it stemmed over to his perception of dragons in general. Astrid wondered what exactly the final exam Hiccup had to take entailed as they had been gone for nearly an hour now, and on the back on a Night Fury they could be nearly a hundred miles away by now, she sincerely hoped it didn't involve Hiccup needlessly putting his life in danger. The worry must have shown on her face as Alexandria joined them and patted the back of her hand, "Don't you fret dear, Hiccup is rather capable. I've never seen anyone pick up the grand master's fighting style as quickly as that boy, they'll be perfectly fine." This would have quelled Astrid's concerns if Titus hadn't started laughing in a way that reminded her of Dagur.

"Why wouldn't he be fine? It's just an assassination; we've all done it before! The whole idea is to be in and out before anyone even knows we were there."

That caused her eyes to widen, Hiccup had made it very clear in their journey after revealing who the brotherhood was and what they did that his stance on being an assassin was a factor in his departure from them. If the final exam was an assassination did that mean he'd lied to her? It didn't seem like Hiccup, but there was still plenty about this new Hiccup that Astrid didn't know, it's entirely possible that he'd changed his mind in the time since he left the brotherhood and merely thought he wasn't welcome back despite what the grand master had told him. She decided that Hiccup had some explaining to do when he got back, and if she felt he was lying to her about anything then she was going to make his right leg match his left.

*Rome, one hour and eight minutes later

Tiberius was a very tire man; politics in the empire were always difficult, but even more so when you're egging on a man hunt for a supposed dragon conqueror who allegedly killed your wife's cousin whom you never met and she never particularly care for. Everyone expected the man to be found within a fortnight of the bounty being posted, and another after the bounty was doubled after no results came. Not that Tiberius didn't want this man caught, he was an enemy of the empire and had killed almost an entire garrison of their men when he escaped from a prison they had been holding him in, and destroyed so much of it the emperor saw no point in repairing the building and simply abandoned it, with the prisoners still inside.

When he'd been approached and told of his connection to a centurion who had died in a confrontation with the dragon conqueror just under a year later and asked to place a bounty on the man's head to help with the search effort he graciously did as asked of him with the promise of the empire paying the bounty for him, he had hoped to have the matter resolved quickly as well. He had to feign outrage over the death of a man he never knew and the longer it took the more tired of the act he became, he'd been held late in a meeting and the night was half over, he'd have to be up in a matter of hours to start his day over again, which is why he was stopping in his private study with the window open to let the night air cool the room while he had a drink.

Suddenly it became impossibly dark outside the window, and a strong gust appeared seemingly from nowhere and the candles providing light flickered out. Tiberius went to light them again when he heard a soft thump and the sound of steel running, the sound of a weapon being unsheathed. He gulped and turned around, the darkness moved away and moonlight poured back into the small study revealing a tall man in a hood standing in it with him, in his left hand was a blade too short to be a sword but too long to be a dagger. Behind the man stood a larger figure, one with wings…

"You're the…" he began but words failed him

"I am."

The man approached him quickly, so much quickly that Tiberius didn't even have time to register when he'd been pushed by into his seat, and the blade was resting against his throat. "I'll make this very simple. You have a choice tonight, one where you live beyond tonight and I no longer have a bounty on my head, or one where you die and are fed to a dragon and I no longer have a bounty on my head. Choose carefully, but either way I win." To confirm his statement he pressed the tip of his blade harder against Tiberius' throat and drew a small drip of blood, the dragon behind them growled as well and a small blue light began to glow behind its razor sharp teeth. "You have only a minute before I decide for you, and you won't like that decision." Tiberius could hear the serious tone in the man's voice, if he didn't answer now then he'd die for sure.

He cleared his throat and gave his answer.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The flight back to the hideout was quick and quiet, Hiccup was far too busy taking multiple breathes of relief. The mark rescinded the bounty, wrote out the declaration, let him read it over, signed it then sent it via carrier pigeon. And all it cost was driving his blade into his left hand, Hiccup was grateful he wasn't forced go further than that as just mutilating his hand was pushing what he was comfortable with.

The grand master was silent behind him as Toothless continued to fly to the hideout. Hiccup knew he was pleased with the outcome, but the older man had admitted he hated that he had to put Hiccup through this at all. Not knowing what he could do Hiccup just clicked his foot into position to open up Toothless' tail and sped up, the sooner they got back the sooner the grand master could have a drink and the sooner he could see Astrid again and ask her if she'd like to stay in his old room with him. He didn't have any expectations of her, while she was even more beautiful than when he'd left Berk all those years ago, Hiccup had no intention to push things in that direction, at least not until they figured out what exactly they are and both decide they're ready for that step. Hiccup only wanted to sleep next to her; they had slept beside one another three times now after all, the night after they left, after the fight with the ax grind tribe, and earlier that day after they'd kissed for a few hours. Was it so wrong for a guy to want to cuddle with a beautiful girl? The truth was having Astrid next him helped him sleep better as much as he simply enjoyed having her next to him, the few times she slept at his side he didn't have nightmares of some of the things he'd seen over the past five years. Reliving his time in the Roman prison, the village the Berserkers had wiped out, watching an entire island sink into the sea with the small fishing village of Grool and all its inhabitants and him unable to save anyone without a certain titan wing dragon killing him. Most nights these prevented him from getting a full night of sleep, but not when Astrid was next to him, maybe she just made him feel safe.

The nearest entrance to one of the underground tunnels came into view and Toothless flew up and circled backwards into a dive before landing beside it, he would've flown straight in, but the entrance was too small for his 48 ft wingspan. The two men walked inside followed closely by the Night Fury when the grand master spoke, "Hiccup, while I am glad things worked out for the best back there… But the others can't know. If they found out you didn't actually perform an assassination then they might not accept you as a member and could choose to accept a bounty on you without coming to me about it first." Hiccup's good mood fell; he didn't like the prospect of lying to people who had treated him like family before they had any cause to. He nodded regardless; he understood that when grand master said 'they' he meant Titus. The younger teen had always despised him and after his threat earlier when he was harassing Astrid, Hiccup wouldn't put it past Titus to accept a contract for his head.

"I understand, I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but I understand." Hiccup answered his unasked question, knowing the grand master hated the idea of lying to the people he considered his children. "Is… is it ok if I tell Astrid the truth? She's not part of the brotherhood and honestly after everything that's happened since she came back into my life I don't think I could lie to her about this." A soft smile made its way onto the assassin's face and he gave a small nod of approval, Hiccup didn't know it, but the grand master was happy that Hiccup had someone he could confide in other than Toothless. Not that he didn't approve of the reptile, but he knew better than most that people needed other people in their life to talk to and as close as the boy and his dragon were it could never take the place of human companionship.

As they entered the hideout and the other members of the brotherhood gathered around them, Hiccup was looking for a certain blonde. As the grand master told the others that he had passed his final exam he spotted an azure blue tail flicking through the doorway leading to the living quarters. As soon as the others had finished congratulating him, he made for his room hoping she was there. Just before he made it to the doorway to the hall, Titus stepped in his way with a disturbing gleam in his eye, "So you finally grew a spine and killed for the brotherhood. I'm sure your woman will be so proud." Something about the statement set off warnings in Hiccup's head, there was more weight to Titus' statement than it implied and he feared it had everything to do with the blonde he hoped is waiting in his room. Without a word he pushes past the younger teen and walks to his room with more caution then one should in a normal circumstance, the door is cracked open and Stormfly is nestled beside it watching him.

Hiccup offers the Nadder a quick scratch on the chin, "Is she upset with me?" The dragon gives a soft coo of affirmation and Hiccup's stomach drops. Gulping he removes the tanto and his knife from his person and lays them between the wall and Stormfly while patting her snout to keep her calm in such close proximity to weapons other than Astrid's axe, which he notes in not in it's place on her saddle. Opening the door further revealed Astrid leaning over his desk, her back to him and axe leaning against it to be grabbed quickly, confirming his suspicions about Titus' comment in the common area; he had said something about the final exam. Taking a deep breathe to try and calm his racing heartbeat, Hiccup stepped in and shut the door before he spoke. "Astrid?" her back stiffened and hand twitched ever so slightly towards the handle of her axe, "Before you try and lop my head off can I get the chance to tell you what really happened out there?" She gave a wave of her hand to tell him to go ahead but made no move to turn around, and her hand landed right beside the axe handle. "Could you at least turn around so I can look you in the eye? I think I know why you brought your axe in here and are giving me the cold shoulder, so can't I at least have the chance to show you I'm telling the truth, even though I'd never lie to you about this. I admit I haven't told you everything about this place or even about the five years I've been gone, but I haven't lied to you once since you found out it was me under my helmet."

With a heavy sigh Astrid turned around and looked at him, Hiccup could see the anger her eyes held from thinking he lied to her, but he could also see something else, something he was well acquainted with and hated that it was now in her eyes because of him: hurt. "Astrid, I swear to you on all the gods and even the Roman ones I didn't kill anyone tonight." Her hands closed into fists, she closed her eyes and she began shaking, before Hiccup could even think he was in front of her and wrapping his arms around her, which she let him. "The grand master gave me an alternative, he sent me after the man who had placed a bounty on my head and all I did was convince him to recall it. I just showed up, me and Toothless put on an act and he cancelled it, but the others can't know that so or they could incite a coup or accept a contract on me behind his back. Please Astrid, I'm not lying to you about this." He whispered in her ear, afraid to speak louder for fear she wouldn't believe him or someone outside might somehow hear them. Her shaking continued, but Hiccup felt two small arms wrap around his back and the comfortable weight of her head come down on his shoulder, there was a sniff but he knew she was too tough to cry about this and he simply held her until she was ready to pull away.

When she did finally move back he offered her a smile which she responded to with a swift punch to his left arm right under his armor, "That's for not telling me before you left!" She said loudly, and then grabbed the buckle on his chest and pulled him into another hug, "And this is for telling me now." He grinned and enveloped her in his arms again, how a girl like her could ever entertain the notion of being with a hiccup like him was beyond anything he could comprehend, but he would thank each and every god for however long they saw fit to keep them together when he reached Valhalla. The thought nearly knocked Hiccup out of Astrid's embrace, he hadn't actually thought of them as together before this moment; they agreed to talk about it when they were back on Berk and he was sure by then she'd realize it couldn't happen with his status there, but for the first time since she kissed him earlier that day he allowed himself to want to be with her despite that.

Hiccup pulls from the hug just enough so he could look at her, but still have his arms wrapped around her at the same time. "Astrid?" Her eyes meet his own and he knows exactly what he wants to ask her without a trace of doubt, "I know we agreed to wait until we got back to Berk to figure… 'us' out, but I've been thinking and…" He pauses for a moment to long and Astrid nods her head for him to continue. "Would you like to test the waters until we got back? You know be an actual couple on a temporary basis and decide whether or not to make it a more permanent decision about being together then?" He asked, hoping she would be up for it and that Titus hadn't destroyed any chance he'd ever had with her. Astrid regarded him for a few seconds before a smile grace her features and she nodded before surging forward to capture his lips with her own.

*The next morning, about six hours later, give or take a make out session or two

The dragons were saddled with the couple's things and waiting to take off while the brotherhood (minus Titus) stood before the two teens and wished them safe travels and Hiccup promised to train a Terrible Terror to deliver a letter to them sometime to keep in touch. The grand master stepped forward and embraced Hiccup quickly and reminded him that he always had a place with them should he ever need it and even gave Astrid a hug with a quiet request to look after the boy, moments later the pair mounted their dragons and were in the air. Hiccup maneuvered Toothless as close to Stormfly and called out to Astrid. "I know a way to cut our travel time back to just under a few days; I didn't suggest it for coming here because I didn't want to push you too fast. If you're feeling up to it we can hit what I like to call the Dragon Highway." The blonde nodded and Hiccup gave her a small smile, "Ok then, we're going to be headed above the clouds where the wind in moving at greater speeds, so make sure everything is tightened down and be ready to hang on." They broke past the clouds and as soon as they leveled out the wind caught in the dragon's wings, propelling them forward at speeds faster than a dragon can normally achieve. Astrid was startled at first, but quickly recovered and tightened her grip on Stormfly's saddle as she followed the direction Hiccup pointed towards Berk. She was taken by complete surprise however when Hiccup locked Toothless' tail in position and carefully stood, walking over the dragon's wings and hopped onto Stormfly's before taking a seat behind her with a kiss on her cheek.

The next several hours were spent with the two soaring forward and Astrid telling Hiccup what life on Berk has been like since he defeated the Red Death and the raids stopped, Hiccup had also explained why he called this current the Dragon Highway (it's high up and you have to be on a dragon to reach it) and that the winds were so strong that they could just leisurely ride the current to their destination without the dragons tiring out at a far greater pace. They even had lunch in the sky, kindly provided by the brotherhood and it was a nice change of pace from their usual fish and rabbit. After they finished their food Hiccup returned to Toothless' back in the same manner he had joined her on Stormfly and the pair entertained the girls with some high speed twists and flips for a little bit, once they rejoined the girls they lapsed into a comfortable silence and just enjoyed riding the winds.

The sky had an orange hue when Hiccup finally spoke again. "It'll be night soon, maybe we should find a place to stop for the night." Astrid nodded in approval and started to angle Stormfly down when Hiccup stopped her with a frantic waving of his hands, "Astrid, Astrid hang on for a second, leaving the Dragon Highway is a lot more difficult that getting on it. After you drop out you'll be hit with a lot of wind resistance and Stormfly will have to slow her descend quickly, if you're not careful you could be thrown from the saddle."

"Hiccup, I'll be careful ok? I just need to hang on tight so I stay put right?" And without waiting for a response, she and Stormfly dove down. However Astrid was not prepared for the sudden stop in strong steam of wind and the rough spot of air she dove into, Stormfly tried to keep steady for her rider and Hiccup arrived on Toothless to try and help as well, but another patch of rough wind hit and the blonde was sent hurtling from the Nadder's back and let out a panicked yell when she realized she was falling. She heard Hiccup call her name and caught a glimpse of him jumping from Toothless' back and diving after her.

After another minute of falling through the sky, Astrid felt something grip her arm. Looking to her right revealed Hiccup had caught up to her and was pulling her to him, she could just make out the worry in his eye through his helmet. Now that he'd managed to stabilize their fall he looked upward where Stormfly and Toothless were catching up to them, the latter with his tongue lolling to the side in a manner suggesting he was enjoying it. Hiccup returned his attention to his temporary girlfriend and turned so her arms were around his shoulders and neck before turning his head and shouting so she could hear him. "Hang on, I've never tried this with another person before." Astrid was about to ask what he meant by that when he shoved his arms through the leather straps on his legs and ripped them forward, bringing with them leather wings that caught the air and they began to glide, albeit a bit rocky. Astrid tightened her grip on Hiccup as they moved through the sky as if they themselves were a dragon and noted that there was an island below them with lights starting to shine with the setting sun.

It became apparent that the flying suit Hiccup wore wouldn't carry them both all the way to the island they were headed for, Astrid was about to try and call Stormfly to catch her when Toothless fired a plasma blast that exploded ahead and slightly below them and the heat propelled them higher than they'd been a moment ago, the Night Fury repeated this action five more times until he met his shot limit and they could reach the village docks they'd been soaring to. Astrid figured the plan was to quickly land, get back on their dragons and take back to the sky long enough to find a secluded area to camp for the night, but when they landed using Hiccup's stomach as cushioning he seemed content to take his time storing the leather wings back into his leggings while Toothless bounded around the docks like an excited pup. It was the ebony dragon's sudden playfulness that drew her attention to the over quiet village which she quickly recognized: The Meathead tribe's village.

Astrid had been to this village more than a few times, her ex lived here. "Hiccup, we should probably get on our dragons and find a place to camp where we won't get found by the villagers." She said eyeing the buildings for anyone who might come around the corner and raise an alarm at the sight of a couple of dragons on their docks.

"It's ok Astrid, I helped the Meatheads with a Timberjack issue a few years ago and have visited them a few times since. If I ask them for a place to stay for the night, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to accommodate us." Hiccup responded, he'd yet to remove his helmet but the smile was evident in his voice.

"Hiccup, people here know me." The blonde said pointedly, Hiccup's posture froze and she knew he had figured it out but drove the point home just to be sure. "If we stay here and they recognize me then there's a good chance word will be sent back to Berk and there goes our chances of showing the people what you discovered about dragons. I'll be branded a traitor too and while we wouldn't have to worry about us being together I'd still miss my family." Hiccup turned to look her in the eyes, and she had gotten to him, he gave her a small nod and she walked around Stormfly and gave her chin a rub and was about to climb onto her saddle when a new voice sounded.

"Well what do we have here?"

*Berk

The last few days had been extremely confusing for Fishlegs. The first day after he had stumbled upon Astrid with Hiccup and telling Ruffnut he found she wouldn't let him leave her side for anything short of sleep, on wash day she kept him with her until she was sure no one would be at the springs for the men and only then let him go. Not that he minded her company, but there were times he felt a little suffocated, anytime someone mentioned Astrid or Ryder the wheat blonde would grab his tunic and shove her tongue down his throat to prevent him from saying anything after he almost blurted it out to Tuffnut when he mentioned that Snotlout was more of a pain with Astrid gone. Then on the third day after Astrid left with Hiccup, she ended up just dragging him to the cliffs and kissing him for a long time before asking why he thought Hiccup would risk coming back and why Astrid wouldn't kill him on the spot since he was a traitor.

"Well, Astrid was the one who turned him into Stoick five years ago so it is kind of confusing that she would suddenly be cavorting with him behind the village's back. Maybe he was forcing her?" Fishlegs knew it was unlikely, since he still hadn't told Ruffnut about what he heard Astrid say about wanting to be with Hiccup. He didn't like lying to her, but he felt it best to leave some hope that Astrid wasn't knowingly turning traitor, he also hoped it wouldn't bite him in the ass. "Or maybe she's luring him into a false sense of security so she can capture him or something like that and the only way he'd trust her enough is to pretend she is on his side."

Ruffnut shrugged and rested her head on his shoulder; they sat there and watched as the sun sank down to just above the water when Fishlegs spotted ships in the distance. "Do you see that?" He asked and Ruffnut lifted her head to squint her eyes and get a better view of the ships, without another word the teens went to inform the chief. With the dragon raids having stopped nearly four years ago, supposedly by Hiccup if Ryder is to be believed, the tribe had other threats to worry about; the most recent name added to that list was Dagur and the Berserkers. After they found him with Gobber in the Great Hall and informed him there were ships on the horizon he wordlessly stood and the two men followed the young pretend couple to the cliff they had been sitting at earlier.

"Gobber, spyglass." Stoick said with a hand held out a hand expectantly and the smith fumbled with the small metal and glass instrument on his belt. It had been made by Hiccup and since he left Gobber had kept it with him constantly. The Chief extended the spyglass and held it up to his eye so he could see further than anyone else and hopefully identify who it was and determine if they were a threat or not, with luck it was just a passing merchant ship. The three people with him noticed his grip tighten around the seeing device followed by a growl as he lowered it and thrust it back towards Gobber, then followed him as he began marching towards the catapults and watch towers.

"Well, who are they Stoick?" Gobber asked, they had to be a threat if his friend was heading to their siege equipment if the scowl hadn't given it away. The ships were still a long ways away, probably wouldn't arrive until just before sunrise if the wind was against them, which at the moment it appeared to be. Stoick didn't stop or even slow down, but his fists clenched as he walked and he uttered a single word with every bit of venom and distain he had in his body.

"Alvin."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Well, what do have here?"

Astrid's blood ran cold at not only the sound of a third voice, but at the sound of _his_ voice. Of all the people on Freezing-To-Death who could have caught them it just had to be _him_. Fortunately for her she was behind Stormfly and hidden from his view, but that still left Hiccup exposed as Toothless had been playful running around the docks since the moment they touched down. She was brought out of her worries by _his _voice once more.

"If it isn't the great Ryder. Come back to play with some more of your dragon friends did you?"

She heard a soft scoff come from Hiccup followed by his retort, "What's the matter? Are you afraid that I'll swoop in and steal all your glory again Thuggory?" Astrid cringed when her ex's name was said mockingly by her current boyfriend; the fact that neither of them knew about the others relationship to her did little to ease the blow. Deciding to risk getting spotted she peered around her dragon to get a glimpse of what was happening, she found the two men staring each other down with a few feet between them. It only then struck her just how much Hiccup had grown; she'd known he was taller, how could she not? When he left she had an inch or two over him and now he was a head and shoulders taller than her, but looking at him compared to another was something else, he stood at eye level with Thuggory. For a moment there was silence, then Thuggory reared back his arm with an open hand as if he was going to slap Hiccup with his helmet on, basically saying his wasn't worth punching. Just as Astrid was about to reveal herself to stop the Meathead heir, Hiccup mirrored the action and the two swung their arms forward and griped one another's forearm and shared a laugh.

"It's good to see you again battle brother, it's been too long, nearly a year if I remember correctly!" Thuggory said as they released each other's arm and shared a friendly hug. "What's with the Nadder anyway? I thought you were going the loner path since the last time you decided to have a partner ended poorly?"

Astrid could hear the metallic clink on the dock as Hiccup shuffled his feet a bit. "Yeah well, apparently the gods had other ideas. Hey!" She assumed he was calling to her and peeked around Stormfly just enough to see him waving his arm for her to come out, she reluctantly did. "I may have had a recent trip to Berk." Hiccup said turning back to Thuggory as Astrid stopped beside him, trying to look anywhere but at her ex and resisting the urge to take Hiccup's hand. "I kinda picked up an apprentice of sorts." Astrid bristled at being called an apprentice, while Hiccup may be more experienced in dragon riding than her; he said that she was picking it up extremely fast. Hiccup must have noticed her reaction, it wouldn't surprise her with how observant she learned he was, and pressed passed the issue. "Anyway, I'm sure you know all about the Hooligan tribe's greatest warrior since Stoick: Astrid Hofferson."

The introduction was unnecessary, but Astrid looked up to meet Thuggory's gaze and nodded. Too her surprise he returned it and didn't let the shock on his face show for too long. She needed to find a moment where she could tell him to keep quiet about their admitted short lived relationship around Hiccup, even if they were battle brothers, and she needed to refer to him as Ryder since it's clear that Thuggory doesn't know that-

"So I'm going out on a limb here and guessing she knows who you really are under that helmet of yours?" Said ex asked, turning his attention back to Hiccup, who was in the processing of undoing the strap on his helmet to remove it.

"Yeah, she was stubborn about talking to Ryder and stumbled across my camp while I was out flying without it on and I had to hold her captive for a bit… anyway long story short she changed her mind and now she has Stormfly." Hiccup said rubbing the back on his neck nervously while gesturing to the dragon in question who gave a squawk of delight as Toothless came over to play with her.

"Ah well that sounds like a Hooligan warrior-" A loud crash was heard from the village and Thuggory rolled his eyes and groaned. "Oh no. Listen Hic, you remember that dragon you helped us with last time you were here?"

Hiccup's eyebrow rose in question, "The Sweet Death? Yeah what about it, he seemed rather happy when I left him on Eternitree."

"Yeah well he found his way back and…" Thuggory didn't get to finish as a large mustard yellow dragon came barreling around the corner and down the docks. It wasn't too much bigger than Toothless, the scales appeared almost as it the dragon was made of fat but upon closer inspection it had a strong defensive build and every breathe it let out filled the air with a sweet smelling aroma. Astrid had read about these dragons once in Berk's dragon manual, but never seen one herself given they were rare in this part of the Archipelago, she had always assumed they were blind and used smell to maneuver, but now she could see the two red eyes hovering just above the large mouth of the dragon on either side of it's small horn. "Now he won't leave me alone!" Thuggory groaned as the dragon tackled him and gave him a loving nuzzle.

"Thug, he bonded with you!" Hiccup told him with a laugh, bending over slightly, even Astrid was laughing at the heir's expense. "I don't think you'll be getting rid of him anytime soon, best you just accept him. And you should probably start riding him too, might make your future chiefing easier." 

"Overbite! Back! Off! Bad dragon!" Thuggory shouted only to receive more affections from the Sweet Death, both Hiccup and Astrid found the name odd yet fitting considering he dragon's lower jaw did jut out just a bit further than his upper jaw. After a little(a lot) of prodding and pushing they managed to get the rather playful reptile off of Thuggory and Hiccup kindly pulled him over to teach him a few hand signals and verbal commands with the aide of Toothless while Stormfly also learned them. Astrid saw her opportunity and grabbed both it and Thuggory by the scruff of the neck and pulled him over to the far side of the docks.

"What the Hel Thuggory!?" She whisper/yelled at her ex, while she may not know the whole story, she's smart enough to know that you don't become someone's battle brother without a lot of trust and history between you and them.

"Ok, I know you want answers and I'll give them. Just please not punching, I'm getting married in a few hours and I would prefer to have all my teeth and both eyes functioning for the ceremony!"

While Astrid was shocked to hear this, most tribes tended to invite chiefs from other tribes when an heir weds but Berk had heard nothing of Thuggory's marriage, but at the moment she was far more concerned about his connection to Hiccup. "How did you find out about Hiccup?"

"Well…"

***Four years ago***

Thuggory was walking through the village just enjoying the early evening air. He was on his way to meet with a group of visitors he had promised to join for dinner when a loud clanging came from the forge, he knew the blacksmith was at home with his wife and daughter and that his apprentice was on Hopeless helping with repairs after a particularly bad dragon raid. Normally Berk would've sent theirs since they're closer, but word had reached them about a year ago that Hiccup, the former heir and blacksmith apprentice had died in a dragon related incident. He found it strange that the note had been signed by the chief's second Spitelout but chose to believe that Stoick was mourning his son, Thuggory had been friends with the boy once when they were younger and Hiccup was littler, the two of them shared a common fear in the form of the Bog Burglar heir Camicazi and bonded as she dragged them on hair brained adventures that ended with them in trouble more often than not. Stoick had stopped bringing Hiccup to meetings of the chiefs after he took the blame for the bigger boy when Thuggory had accidentally knocked over a barrel of black powder in the Bog Burglar armory and blew it up. After that Camicazi stopped her adventures with him claiming they weren't the same without the third member of their trio present. So it was quite the shock when he opened the forge doors to find his childhood friend at the anvil hammering a piece of iron while sitting on a stool and missing part of his left leg.

"Hiccup? How is this possible? You're dead!" Thuggory exclaimed after he found his voice.

"I'm really extra sure that I'm not." Hiccup responded sarcastically, squashing any doubt of who he was; only Hiccup was that sarcastic.

"How? We were told by the Hooligan tribe that you were killed in a dragon raid!" Thuggory couldn't wrap his head around it, was Berk mistaken, or did they just lie to everyone? And if they did lie then why? The more he thought about it the more questions he had and the more his head hurt. Thuggory may not look it, but he is smarter than your average Viking since he is to become chief one day. He may not be as smart as Hiccup but he was still smart enough to know something was amiss.

"Well there was an incident with a dragon… I just ended up leaving and I assume they banished and branded me a traitor afterwards. Although now that I think about it, it's not overly surprising they'd rather have everyone believe I'm dead." Hiccup mused before returning his attention to the wood and metal device on the anvil which Thuggory could now see was a prosthetic foot for the one he was missing, how had that happened?

A sudden creak from the rafters just above them caught Thuggory's attention, looking above where Hiccup sat revealed a midnight black dragon with green eyes peering at him warily. "Hiccup. Don't move, there's a dragon above you!" He warned the smaller teen who continued to work as if there wasn't a death machine directly overhead.

"I know. I told him to wait up there to avoid knocking everything over, you're forge is a lot smaller than the one on Berk… or maybe I'm finally hitting that fabled growth spurt Gobber told me about. Anyway he's harmless." Hiccup responded, only just now showing just how exhausted he must be, the shortened leg was still wrapped tightly and must have happened recently been amputated considering the dark red stain.

"What do you mean harmless? Hiccup, it's a _dragon_." Thuggory said, putting emphasis on the word dragon as if Hiccup didn't understand.

"Yeah I know," Hiccup sighed, turning his attention to the heir, "I also know he's a Night Fury, I named him Toothless and he's the only reason I'm alive right now and if we're lucky the dragon raids are also over now."

"He's a Night Fury!?" Thuggory exclaimed, only realizing he referred to a dragon as a he instead of an it like he had been raised to, he mentally blames Hiccup. "And exactly how is he… it the reason you're alive right now and what do you the dragon raids are over?"

"I said if we're lucky they're over. To answer you're first question I trained Toothless here after I shot him down a little over a year ago, when the rest of Berk found out we fled and have had each other's backs ever since. The second one is a bit more complicated, the short answer is there was a more powerful dragon controlling the others to conduct the raids and we dealt with it. I would've died had Toothless not been there to save me, and I'll gladly sacrifice a leg to keep my life and have the raids stop." Hiccup explained while adding some finishing touches to the metal foot, it had a spring in it to help act as a natural foot and eliminate as much of a limp as possible.

Outside someone called out Thuggory's name, it must be someone from the group he was supposed to meet for dinner in the great hall; he was late before he found Hiccup so they must have gotten concerned. Hiccup was hurriedly trying to attach the leg with a slight look of panic on his face, he stood with a wince as he put weight on the prosthetic for the first time and looked to his childhood friend. "Look Thug, if you have ANY fond memories from when we were kids then please don't tell anyone I'm here. I promise to explain everything; I'll need to be here for a few more hours to make a new stirrup for Toothless' saddle. If you decide you're better off selling me out then I understand, and will run for it, but I'm begging you…"

Thuggory looked from Hiccup, to the dragon that had its head cocked to the side and giving what appeared to be a quizzical look towards him yet made no move to harm him, not even threaten him. Maybe Hiccup had stumbled onto something big here. "I'll hear you out in the name of our friendship, but if I don't like what I hear then I'm going to have to take you down, got it?" Hiccup nodded slowly, Thuggory stepped outside and took a deep breath to calm himself and think of something he could tell the people looking for him.

"There you are." A voice said from the direction to the great hall, Thuggory turned to address the person and froze for a moment in realization. Astrid walked up to him with a small smile on her face, they'd been dating for about a week now since his father, Mogadon, started insisting he consider marriage in the next few years and a marriage to a neighboring tribe is a good way to keep peace with said tribe, the fact that Astrid was both an accomplished warrior and drop dead gorgeous was a bonus. The main drawback was that she wasn't overly affectionate, in the time they've been together the most intimate thing to happen between them was holding hands. Thuggory knew her reputation, and wasn't about to risk his head or something a little more vital to a marriage in an attempt to push things forward. But all that was inconsequential in light of the recent revelation that Hiccup was still alive and well, more or less.

Astrid was from Berk, and must know the truth about Hiccup. If she were to find out that the former heir was only ten feet away in the forge with a dragon hanging over him she'd likely kill the both of them and then turn her sights on him for hiding them even for a minute. There was only one solution; he had to get her to leave, and not just this area of the village. No, she needed to return to Berk. "Hey Astrid, listen we need to talk…"

***Present day***

"Wait… so are you telling me that the night you dumped me that Hiccup was in the forge no further away from us than he is right now?" Astrid asked looking over to the young man in question. Granted she wasn't overly devastated by the break up, in fact she probably would've ended herself not much longer after that night if he hadn't, but she was plenty pissed off that he had dumped her because she didn't get dumped. She made a mental note to tell Hiccup that little tidbit if they chose to pursue a more long term relationship.

"Yeah... kind of." Thuggory told her lamely, he looked over at Hiccup who had Overbite sitting with his tail wagging over the wood like an overgrown puppy and sweet smelling drool dropped at their feet. "Besides it worked out for the best, if I had turned him in back then you wouldn't be riding a dragon right now, and even though I complain about him I like having Overbite around. He makes for a pretty good guard when he listens to me. And there's also the fact that I wouldn't be marrying a woman I'm in love with if not for Hiccup, he saved her and her parents from the Outcasts a few years ago and brought them here. The rest is history."

Astrid grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked him forward while fixing him with a hard glare, "Does Hiccup know that we used to be together?" Thuggory opened his mouth to respond, but Astrid cut him off. "I don't want him to know, things have changed between him and me and I'd rather he not start worrying that he's not big enough or Viking enough got it? Otherwise I might just have to mess up your face before your wedding." Thuggory gulped but didn't respond as the sound of someone clearing their throat brought his gaze towards Hiccup, Astrid allowed her own to follow and found Hiccup standing a few feet away with a brow quirked and Overbite beside him with his meaty head cocked in confusion as to why she was scaring his favorite person.

"Thug…" Hiccup started eyes flickering back and forth between the two, "I thought you said the two of you ended things on good terms?" Astrid released the heir, who let out an indignant 'oof' as she closed the small distance to Hiccup.

"You knew?" she asked as she stopped in front of him. Hiccup looked down and his metal foot started drawing imaginary lines in the wood.

"I'm kinda the whole reason Thug ended things with you… He told me the truth just as I told him the truth about dragons." His eyes met hers and she could see the worry in them, that she might blame him for costing her a good relationship. "When Thuggory found me that night I had just recently awoken from a week long coma spent on Dragon Island after we killed the queen. We managed to fly using a sturdy enough stick, some dragon skin and a lot of trial and error then waited for the blacksmith to leave to sneak in, I just didn't expect Toothless to want to stay by my side so stubbornly after my injury."

The sound of footsteps drew everyone's attention towards the village where they found a woman about Hiccup and Astrid's age, with green eyes, raven black hair done in a loose braid hanging over her right shoulder similar to Astrid's. Her eyes scanned over the group, stopping for a moment on Hiccup and bringing a small smile to her lips before they settled on Astrid and a small frown took the smiles place. Thuggory managed to pull himself to his feet and rushed over to her, embracing her in an affectionate hug which she returned before he spoke. "Sweetheart! Look who I found standing around the docks."

"I was beginning to think you were getting cold feet and going to try flying off on Overbite, I'm glad it's just you greeting our guest of honor." The girl released her intended and made her way to Hiccup before enveloping him in a too familiar hug for Astrid's taste, not that she was jealous because that would be ridiculous. "I'm glad you made it Hiccup, Thug has been slightly worried you wouldn't make it back in time for wedding."

Hiccup stepped back and withdrew his hands from the girl, much to Astrid's pleasure. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world Heather, hope you don't mind that I brought a date along." Hiccup responded motioning to Astrid who turned scarlet at the prospect of being on an impromptu date with Hiccup, the color quickly left her face when Thuggory smirked at her and she balled her hand into a fist to make him compose himself.

Heather smiled at her and stepped forwards offering her hand, Astrid took it before Hiccup was given an answer. "I'm more disappointed you decided to teach someone else to ride a dragon, Thug needs the lessons and I wouldn't mind having a dragon either. You could always teach us as a wedding present you know. But while you think that idea over I'm gonna steal your date for a bit, she looks like she could use a bath and a nice outfit for the wedding and I'm sure you do to since you're supposed to be standing next to my beloved here you need one too, can't have you smelling like dragon spit on my wedding day!" Without another word Heather dragged Astrid away from the docks and towards what she assumed was a bath house, the last she saw before turning behind a building was Thuggory patting Hiccup on the back as he laughed.

Hiccup and Thuggory exited the heir's future home about an hour later, the groom in his best fur cape and tunic and Hiccup in a rather fancy tunic himself. "I am glad you made it in time brother, there's no one I'd rather have standing beside me as I take this big step into my future, you're the best man I know. Hey, maybe we should call you that in the wedding!" Thuggory jibed as they made their way to the Great Hall. Hiccup laughed in response and just shook his head, the idea was a nice gesture but it would never catch on.

Suddenly Hiccup stopped and whistled loudly, Toothless appeared by his side moments later. Hiccup dug into one of the saddlebags and procured a small sack which he handed to Thuggory, "I made these while on Berk, Gobber figured out who I was after I had a duel with Dagur and let me use the forge. Thankfully he didn't tell my dad otherwise I'd likely been arrested, tried and given the Blood Eagle before I could blink."

"We had heard that someone had beaten Dagur in a duel." Thuggory said as he took the small bag from Hiccup and pulled at the string keeping it closed, "Had I known it was you I would've smacked you upside the head for being so stupid."

"Well Gobber, Gothi, and Astrid all beat you to it Thug, beside I won so let's just accept that I'm crazy and move on." Hiccup laughed, but Thuggory didn't join him as he beheld what was within the bag. In his hand laid two golden wedding bands of immaculate design, far better than the plain ones the local smith had made for them, the heir looked from the rings to his battle brother and friend then back to the rings before grabbing Hiccup by the arms and lifting him into a hug. Hiccup pat him on the back as a gesture to put him back down but Thuggory just held him there for a minute before returning him to the ground.

"Hiccup, brother I can't accept these, they're too much and should be saved for your own wedding day." Hiccup just smiled and shook his head, closing his friend's hand around the rings.

"Thug, I made these especially for you and Heather. Besides, Astrid and I are barely into testing what a relationship would be like between us. At the end of the day, she's loyal to her family and Berk which I admire about her but I'm still a traitor in their eyes. I won't ask her to abandon her life for me, maybe I'll cut my hair and use ash to blacken it to become Ryder permanently if she really wants to have a life with me. But most likely she'll realize I can't give her the life she deserves and return to Berk to live a happy life, either way I'll do whatever makes her happy, even turn myself over to my father. Marriage just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me."

Before Thuggory could respond a villager called for them so the wedding ceremony could begin and Hiccup led them up the steps and into the Great Hall.

Astrid wasn't often one to dress up for things, on Berk her usual attire was pretty much good for everything outside of weddings and funerals, but here she was in a dress that Heather had leant her with a wink and hoping that Hiccup liked it. It was a bit disconcerting to worry about a boy opinion of her, she'd never put much thought into how Thuggory saw her during their week together, and she didn't dress up for the reluctant date she went on with Snotlout, but with Hiccup all she could think about when Heather insisted on loaning her a dress was 'would Hiccup like this?' as she tried on some of the one the bride to be picked out.

"So Thuggory mentioned that Hiccup saved you and your parents from the Outcasts a few years ago, how'd you get on their bad side?" Heather chuckled at the question; turns out her family were just going to be bait to capture the dragon rider when he showed up while they tried to capture said bait.

"They said a pretty girl like me was bound to bring in the nuisance on a dragon, Hiccup fought their ships off then towed us here where I met Thuggory." Heather said before looking down and becoming very silent for a moment, "truth be told I actually developed a bit of a crush on Hiccup for awhile. I tried asking him if he felt the same and he said it was just to dangerous for him to be with someone, you must be very special if he's willing to take that risk with you." Heather's smile returned as her mother knocked on the door and told them it was time for the wedding to start. "Please don't think I have any feelings for Hiccup that are more than friendship, I love Thuggory and Hiccup is a very good friend whom I owe my life and happiness. But there's nothing more than that, and maybe you and I can be friends too." Astrid smiled back at her and nodded her appreciation as she quickly changed into the dress she picked.

When Astrid entered the Meathead tribe's Great Hall she immediately began searching for Hiccup, she found him just before the ceremony started and he was rendered speechless by the sight of her. The wedding itself went off without a hitch and the feast saw much jubilation. Hiccup eventually found his voice and asked Astrid to dance, she couldn't remember a time when she enjoyed herself more than dancing with him, after a bit his leg began to bother him and he promised her one last dance before the night was over after he rested for a bit. Thuggory found him sitting at a table with a cup of water watching Astrid as she danced with a few young girls. "Having fun?"

"Yeah I am, it's been a long time since I felt this good without flying." Hiccup said without taking his eyes off of Astrid. In that moment Hiccup let his mind wander, to imagine what his life could be like if he and Astrid could get married, he smiled at the thought. Astrid looked over to him and smiled, Hiccup stood and made his way towards her sending a silent prayer to the gods for just one favor, to allow him this happiness for a little while longer.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Astrid awoke in a comfy bed. For a moment she thought she was in her home and had dreamt everything that had happened, the lack of an axe under her pillow and the unfamiliar room brought her back to reality. The previous night returned to her memory and a smile made its way onto her face unbidden, she had enjoyed being with Hiccup the night before. They danced, more than she would've thought given his metal foot, drank and shared stories. That is until a small messy haired blonde girl spotted him and shouted his name loud enough to be heard over the chatter of everyone around them, Hiccup's face quickly donned a look of terror before giving Astrid a peck on the cheek and saying he'd find her later before running off with the small girl chasing him and yelling for him to 'get back here!' At first Astrid had thought she was a jilted former lover but Thuggory and Heather were nearby laughing and the new husband explained it was the heir of the Bog Burglars and her connection to both himself and Hiccup. It took about an hour but Hiccup managed to lose the girl somewhere in the village with the help of the dragons and promptly returned to Astrid's side, unfortunately Astrid had done little but drink mead and fend off men and boys (and a couple girls) who wanted to 'dance' with her in private. The mead seemed to have taken it's toll on her by the time he came back so he spoke with Heather for a moment and then walked Astrid back to the bride's former residence, where the shield maiden had offered for him to join her, Astrid would be mortified if it weren't for the fact she was alone and still in the dress she was lent for the evening. While she couldn't remember anything after being walked back, Hiccup would never take advantage of her like that and clearly just made sure she got to bed.

As Astrid changed back into her regular clothes, which had been folded and placed on a nearby stool at some point, her mind wandered to the future. She and Hiccup would be returning to Berk today, he had told her as much the previous night before she had too much mead and while 'Ryder' was more or less welcomed on their home island, Hiccup was still a traitor and seen as an enemy. And then there was Stormfly, the Deadly Nadder who had managed to find a special place in Astrid's heart in such a short amount of time and who would be killed without a second thought by any of her fellow Vikings if she was found. After learning the freedom of flight and the vastness of the world beyond the known waters of the archipelago she called home it seemed impossible to be tied to the earth forever again, while Berk would always be her home she might have to consider leaving it behind like Hiccup had for the sake of her reptilian friend. As she fixed the spiked overskirt in place and looked for her kransen, she thought about the possibility of convincing Hiccup to allowed her to become Ryder's 'apprentice' when it came time for him to leave once again and simply travel with him and Toothless and explore their relationship and should such a time come where things ended between them she could strike out on her own with Stormfly and explore the world herself and have her own adventures, but she really hoped she wouldn't have a reason to leave Hiccup's side at anytime.

Now fully dressed in her usual attire she made her way out of the house, it was still early as the sun was barely above the ocean. To her surprise Stormfly was nestled at the side of the house and what sounded like snoring in her sleep, not to far away were Toothless and Overbite, the latter of which was drooling sweet smelling ooze and his left hind leg kicked as he rolled onto his side. Astrid wanted to perform her normal routine of axe throwing in the woods nearby, but her previous visits had always been to see Thuggory and she didn't know the forests of the island. Movement caught her eye at the docks and she lifted her hand to see better, finding a thin wiry silhouette performing stretches in the early morning light. With a small smile her legs carried her towards the young man of their own accord and before she knew it, she was standing behind the man she called her boyfriend admiring his bare back as he did the strange movements meant to keep him limber in combat. She also noticed the tattoo the back of his right shoulder for the first time, having been focused on the scars he showcased for her in the Brotherhoods hideout. It was a simple Strike class dragon mark, a picture of Toothless curled in a spiral, left tail fin missing, it seemed so fitting that Astrid could believe it was a mark from the gods to identify Hiccup as one of their chosen.

Hiccup turned in his latest stretch and spotted her watching him after a minute, he gave her a smile that shouldn't have made her feel as warm as it did. He finished his stretching with a pop of his back before scooping up his shirt off a nearby post, they had agreed the night before that they'd get a quick breakfast and return to Berk as soon as possible, Astrid might have slipped up and revealed she missed her parents a little bit. While Hiccup empathize the feeling having never been close to his father he could certainly sympathize and had made the suggestion of an early return. While they ate he also wrote a letter for the newlyweds and gave it to Mogadon with a request that the chief give his son their apologies for not being able to see them before leaving, something about not having a month to wait and figuring they will be too tired to make an appearance for a few hours in order to present the morning gift.

With that the couple took to the skies, Overbite following them into the air and escorting them to the edge of the island before stopping and roaring a friendly farewell that Toothless and Stormfly returned. It would be another hour or- so before they reached Berk so Astrid decided to pick Hiccup's brain for more stories about his time traveling, even with all he'd already told her she had barely scratched the surface and she knew there were some things he purposely kept from her but he would open up in time should their relationship continue to blossom.

Stoick was furious.

The Outcasts hadn't attacked Berk in nearly 18 years, the last time was not long after Valka had been taken by that cursed four winged dragon and Alvin tried to capitalize on his mourning. Unfortunately for Alvin, Stoick was more enraged than saddened by his wife's death because he had been unable to slay the beast that took her and it hadn't returned in a single raid since. The blasted beast most likely knew it would meet it's doom should it ever return, but Alvin wasn't a dragon and this time somehow had managed to successfully raid the village and take them all hostage. The fleet had merely been a distraction, while the warriors of Berk prepared their defenses for an attack from the harbor Alvin had lead a group of Outcasts from a system of tunnels that had been created by an incident involving a Whispering Death a few days after Arvin Dale's fire, the first one in history of Berk in which the Flightmare did NOT appear, and took the village by surprise.

And that was how Stoick found himself, Gobber, Spitelout, Asvald Hofferson and the council being held in cages at the kill ring with dragons raging against the doors to their pens while Alvin watched over them alongside his second with a look of mirth. The rest of the warriors had been thrown in Berk's own prison and the villagers were being held in the Great Hall by the remaining Outcasts who weren't assigned to watch the other two groups or patrol the town for any stragglers. It was clear that despite all of Alvin's boasting that they were bait for a trap, why else wouldn't they have killed them by now? There was also the question of whom the trap was for, they hadn't sent any notices to any of the tribes Berk had treaties with and everyone in the Hooligan tribe was accounted for except for Astrid… who had gone with Ryder. Everything seemed to fall into place and aligned the picture was laid out before the Chief: Ryder had to be the intended target.

As the island of Berk came into view the couple slowed their pace; Astrid out of a sudden sense of desire to put off Hiccup having to return to the guise of Ryder, and Hiccup to keep pace with the blonde. Both knew it was inevitable yet neither was thrilled at suddenly going back to acting platonic with each other Astrid had considered simply saying she had developed feelings for Ryder while away but Hiccup pointed out that it would just cause problems in the long run. So as the island drew ever closer they shared one last meaningful look before something odd caught Hiccup's eye, a strange ship with a crest he prayed he was just seeing wrong. Astrid noticed the change in his demeanor and the direction of his gaze, she followed it to see a few ships she didn't recognize at Berk's docks but it could be travelers. When she turned her sight back on her boyfriend he had fished a spyglass out of one of the bags on Toothless, a much more refined and smaller version that collapsed in on itself for better storage, and lowered it with a frown as he clearly recognized the crest o the sails.

She followed him to the cove and as they landed Hiccup answered her question without her even needing to ask. "Outcasts" he said as he began digging through the saddle bags and withdrew his shield before diving his hands back in the bags and searching again. Astrid herself turned back to Stormfly and began to release her axe from the saddle, Outcasts were told to be tough warriors, most too violent to be among 'civilized Vikings' as Gobber liked to put it; but she had never fought one before so she steeled her nerves and hoped Hiccup had a plan. Her mind traveled back to when he showed her the scars on his torso, one of them had been from the Outcasts' leader Alvin, so Hiccup must know what to expect from him.

"So… what's the plan? I know you can handle yourself now but I don't think we can take the Outcasts all by ourselves even with the dragons help." Astrid asked as she freed the axe and face Hiccup again, who was fixing the buckles on the underside of his left shoulder pad.

"Actually I was thinking this looks to be a trap, so the plan is to spring the trap. Once I know exactly what it is." Hiccup told her before moving a gear on Toothless' tail to engage the mechanism for him to fly on his own. The pair took to the village on foot from there, inferno on Hiccup's hip and his shield strapped to his back as they approached the edge of the forest. Even from there they could see a few Outcasts lurking around, likely on patrol, Hiccup had been right it was a trap, and likely for the dragon rider that had dealt with them before.

Hiccup crouched and Astrid followed suit until they reached the chief's house which they used for cover. Hiccup was spying around the corner, obviously looking for something. Astrid would've preferred to bring the dragons for back up, but knew that there were enough outcasts to overpower all four of them; Hiccup even bore the scar that a dragon ally does not make one invincible. After another minute the boy spotted whatever he was searching for and dashed down the hill with surprising stealth given the metal foot, Astrid peeked around the house to make sure it was clear before taking after him. They weaved through the village alleyways to stay hidden in the shadows, Hiccup's armor blending in as easily as if it were night, eventually they neared the center of town were a particularly lazy Outcast was digging through a bread cart.

Hiccup carefully drew his shield from his back and faced it toward the Outcast man, the center popped open and Astrid recognized the bola line launcher a spilt second before it fired silently. The rope flew forward and wrapped around the outcast's legs several times and went taught, Hiccup then threw the rope over a wooden beam jutting out from one of the houses still being repaired from the Berserker attack and pulled. Before the outcast had time to react the rope yanked his feet out from under him causing his head to hit the ground painfully and daze him, Hiccup took advantage of that to drag the his body until he was hanging by his feet and tied the rope around a large log waiting to be used for repairs. When the man shook his head to clear his vision Hiccup stepped in front of him, "Hello Thrash."

"Oh Odin…" The man, Thrash, said "Look Ryder, I don't want no trouble. I'm just doing as I was told; Alvin is the one behind all this." Astrid quirked an eyebrow, for a big warrior type the man seemed to want to avoid any type of confrontation with Hiccup.

"I'm well aware of that Thrash, and I'm not here to cause trouble for you, just Alvin. Your wife says hello and sends her love by the way. After this is all over you can return to her and be there for the birth of your little one, Helga says she thinks it' a girl. I just need to know what Alvin has planned, and you'll need to hang here so you won't be suspected of anything."

"A girl? We've always wanted a girl." Thrash said with a shimmer in his eye, a single tear trailed up the side of his face before disappearing in his hair. "Alright then, Alvin has the chief and the Berk council held in cages at the dragon killing arena. He intends to wait until you show up to save them and kill you."

"And the rest of Berk's warriors, I assume they are being held in the prison?" Hiccup asked, Thrash nodded in response. Hiccup's face contorted into a puzzled feature, he was formulating a plan faster than Astrid could throw her axe. "Ok then that would mean the rest of the village is likely being held in the Great Hall by a few of the tougher warriors. Ok then, Astrid we're going to have to split up. I doubt Alvin knows you were off the island with me when they attacked so he thinks that he has all the warriors caged, so you're going to go free as many warriors as you can if not all of them and take the Great Hall back. I'll go to the kill ring and deal with Alvin." Astrid nodded and spun her axe to emphasize she was ready. Hiccup turned back to Thrash, "Sorry about this in advance."

Thrash merely nodded again, "If it gets me back home to see my wife and unborn child, I'd let you lop off a limb." And with that Hiccup swiftly punched the man in the face, knocking him out instantly.

They made their way in the general direction of the prison and kill ring, just before they separated Hiccup grabbed Astrid by the small of her back and pulled her into a deep kiss. Despite the fact they were trying to remain undetected Astrid let out a small gratified moan from the kiss and smiled when he pulled away from her, with a quick 'be careful' Hiccup put his helmet back on and vanished around the house towards the arena where Stoick and the others were being held.

As Hiccup enter the kill ring the first thing he noticed was his father, the council and Astrid's father being held in cages. The kind Dagur had discovered the year before that were made of dragon proof metal. The second thing he noticed was that Alvin was not present, in fact the only Outcasts that were around was the pair he had just left unconscious at the beginning of the ramp. Keeping his wits about him and his ears open for any indication of arrows or other weapons, Hiccup moved forward to the cage holding his father and Gobber. The first clink of his prosthetic alerted them to his presence,

"Ryder." Stoick sneered, as Hiccup reached their cage door the chief thrust his hand between the bars and grabbed him by his neck. "They're here for you aren't they? It's the only reason we aren't dead yet, for some reason we're bait for you."

Hiccup took a deep breath and slid back into the familiar persona of Ryder. "Yes they are after me; I'd wager Alvin hates me more than you. Now you can either break my neck and die in this cage like an animal, or you can let me go and I can get you out. Your choice." After a moment of consideration Stoick's glare faded and he released him, Hiccup immediately began to examine the lock. He didn't have as much experience with them as he did others, but it shouldn't take him too long to pick it. Hopefully Astrid had managed to free enough warriors to take back the Great Hall; if Alvin lost enough of his prisoners he'd turn tail and leave,

Laughing reached his ears before he could get the cage door unlocked. Hiccup whipped around, his hand flying to Inferno and releasing the blade before taking a defensive stance. Alvin stood at the entrance of the arena with Savage and a number of other Outcats. Alvin had a large sword in his right hand resting on his shoulder, Hiccup recognized it as a massive Zanbato sword, easily twice as big as a normal one would be, if Alvin was capable of wielding it with one hand then he must have procured it and been training since their last encounter.

"You're a clever one boy, I wasn't sure if you'd go for the chief or the people first. I never suspect you went out and found yourself a whore." Alvin said as he stepped aside to reveal a pair of his men holding Astrid by her arms. "She's a feisty one I'll give her that, but she won't have much fight in her after we've finished with her back on Outcast Island." Astrid's father slammed the side of his cage letting out a slew of poorly articulated curses; Hiccup realized his jaw was broken after the first few words. Alvin took notice of this as well, "Ah so she a Berkian eh? Well then maybe I'll take the fight out of her me'self then." Alvin barely had a chance to laugh before Hiccup was flying across the arena with a speed fueled by his anger.

After narrowly blocking Hiccup's initial strike Alvin began to focus, swinging the large sword in a slanted arc forcing Hiccup to parry, luckily the Gronckle Iron his sword was made from held firm against the heavier sword. They exchanged swings and parries for several moments until Alvin swung at him in a downward motion, Hiccup managed blocked the downward swing but wasn't able to move fast enough to dodge the fist that followed the sword. Avlin's punch sent Hiccup spiraling for several feet, breaking the side of his helmet where the strap was fastened and sent it flying into the wall. Hiccup managed to right himself after his bounced on the stone floor and land of his feet and right hand, sliding a few inches as he does.

Stoick's eyes widen he takes in Ryder's face, the auburn hair, the piercing green eyes, his thin frame. He should've seen it before, Ryder wasn't Ryder at all, he was Hiccup.

Hiccup took a moment to take a few deep breathes and examine what was going on around him. Alvin was smirking, believing the he was assured in his victory with his new weapon. The Outcasts were watching with rapt attention, so much so that Astrid had been let go and was currently sneaking towards the cages with the key she had pick pocketed off Savage. As for the current captives they were all gaping at the former village runt with shocked gazes, the exception being Gobber who just looked worried for his adoptive son. Hiccup knew there was only one way to ensure he could buy Astrid enough time to free them and they in turn free the rest of the village, he'd have to use his trump card. He was just glad he thought to bring it.

Hiccup charged forward with a battle cry, both hands on his sword which was pointed at Alvin's chest. As predicted the larger man chose to try and cut Hiccup in half as opposed to blocking, moving just in time Hiccup let go of Inferno with his left hand and moved his right to block the sword, all the while continuing to move forward towards his target. As he did he slid his free hand under the shoulder guard on his right shoulder, when he was just within range he swung it in an arc.

Alvin threw his head back and howled in pain as the sensation of his flesh being cut bloomed from his abdomen. Bringing his head back revealed his opponent had jumped back and was now wielding two swords, the second having been hidden under his armor. The leader of the Outcasts tried once more to slam his weapon down upon the boy but was blocked again as he crossed the blades in an X and caught the strike above his head. The second sword ignited the moment they both touched and the boy he now knew was Stoick's long lost son, Hiccup, glared at him with a fire in his eyes that matched the ones burning on his swords.

"Taste this Alvin, I call it the Dragon Fire Stream!" He yelled as he closed the distance between them, both blades dragging along the ground behind him and leaving a burn trail as they went. Alvin swung in an attempt to deter the boy; it was met with one sword while the other slashed him in his midsection again. After that he struck Alvin twice more against his armor.

Alvin thrust his sword forward again, clipping Hiccup's armor on the shoulder, '_Faster._' Hiccup thought to himself as he picked up the pace of his attacks, he didn't know if Astrid had freed their fathers and the council yet, and frankly he didn't have time to care. Alvin landed another punch on his face but not nearly as hard as the one before since Hiccup just grunted and continued his assault. '_Gotta go faster!_' Hiccup shouted in his head as he spun in the air to avoid the Zanbato from cutting his legs out from under him while sweeping his swords against Alvin's armored chest again, the momentum caused his grip to slip, but he caught the weapons by their handles in an inverse and used it to his advantage by swiping them again.

To everyone watching Hiccup had become a blaze, fire spinning and swinging all around him as if he were creating and controlling it with his bare hands. They managed to be able to pick apart details when the fire on the second sword began to die out. Once that happened however Alvin capitalized on the weaker blade, catching it in the gap with a hidden dagger he had drawn in his free hand. It was clear he'd use it to pull Hiccup in and run him through with his oversized blade, Astrid, Gobber and Stoick all yelled, but Hiccup couldn't hear them over the blood pounding in his ears. Allowing Alvin to draw him in, Hiccup used the extra momentum to push himself faster than he could achieve on his own strength. He saw Alvin's sword coming and pulled his on right arm as hard at he could, giving him just enough inertia to pass the blade with just a graze against his side, he'd suffered worse. With one final shout of rage he shoved Inferno with all his might and watched as it embedded itself in Alvin's chest, exactly where Alvin had stabbed him three years previously.

For a moment nobody moved, it was as if time stood still. Then Hiccup took a shuddering breathe as Alvin fell back with an audible thud, leaving Hiccup standing hunched over breathing raggedly. Savage was the first Outcast to react, drawing his axe ready to finish what his leader started, but the sound of Stoick and Gobber's cage swinging open and the two men taking a stance between him and Hiccup. Savage faltered but recovered enough to order two men to grab Alvin, who was remarkably still breathing but losing a lot of blood, and retreated. Astrid continued to let the others out of their cages while Stoick turned to face his son for the first time in five years, only he turned in time to see said son collapse to the ground in a heap.

Hiccup's world faded to black and when he came to, Stoick, Gobber and Astrid where all leaning over him, the last discreetly holding his hand tightly. "Easy there lad, yeh dropped faster than a stone in the ocean there." Gobber said in relieved voice.

"How long was I out?" Hiccup asked, it wasn't dark out so it couldn't have been long since they were still in the kill ring.

"Just a few seconds, you started to come to as soon as we got to you." Astrid informed him, Hiccup felt weak, which isn't a surprise given that he did have a gash in his side and a sore shoulder from when Alvin hit him there, thank Thor for the Gronckle Iron under all that leather.

Gobber and Astrid helped him to his feet and he managed to stand albeit shakily. When he raised his head he came face to face with the man who disowned him five year prior. Stoick open and closed his mouth a couple times and then took a deep breath, he opened his mouth one more time to speak when Spitelout socked Hiccup in the jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor again. "Spitelout, what in Odin's name are you doing!?" Stoick shouted as Gobber and Astrid jumped in front of Hiccup, the latter drawing her axe ready to part the man's head from his shoulders.

"I'm doing what you're supposed to do Stoick. I'm protecting the village, in case you forgotten this boy is a branded traitor. You even disowned him after it was revealed he's a dragon sympathizer! That girl that my son intends to wed? She turned him in to you! Do none of you remember theis?" Spitelout shouted back. Stoick growled and clenched his fists to the point they turned white, sadly however this only cause his brother-in-law to smile. "It seems you are incapable of performing your duty as chief, therefore as you second I will assume the role of acting-chief until such time as **I** deem you capable of doing so." The new self appointed chief turned to the rest of the men gathered in the arena, "One of you take Asvald and find Gothi, she'll need to fix up that jaw of his, the rest of you take this traitor and throw him in the prison where he belongs, if the others try and stop you take them too.

Astrid tightened the grip on her axe and preparing to knock out anyone of the men who came too close to her or Hiccup, beside her Gobber was doing the same brandishing his hook menacingly. That is until a gentle hand rested on her arm and she turned her head to see Hiccup standing again and pushing her arm down, Gobber lowered his as well and watched dumbfounded as Hiccup went without a fight. Astrid knew what he was doing, he was protecting them, if they fought against their own people against the acting chief's orders they too would be branded as traitors and Hiccup would sooner hand himself over to be given the Blood Eagle before he let anyone take a fall for him.

"I see you saw reason." Spitelout said smugly as he smirked at Stoick whom was still watching his son with a sad look. Hiccup kept his face natural, like stone he showed no weakness as he was escorted towards the prison by three men. Overhead Astrid spied two shapes in the sky, she knew the Toothless and Stormfly were keeping watch over their riders, she just hoped that Spitelout hadn't signed Berk's death warrant at the hands of an angry Night Fury. The man who was now chief strolled up to Stoick who hadn't torn his eyes from where he'd last seen his son and leaned so he could speak directly into his ear. "I hope you enjoyed your time running the village Stoick, cause that time is at an end." As he walked away Gobber helped Stoick to his feet. "

"Long live Chief Spitelout."


End file.
